Land and Environment Court
New South Wales
Medium Neutral Citation: Agostino & Anor v Pittwater Council [2015] NSWLEC 1518 Hearing dates: Conciliation conference on 9 December 2015 Date of orders: 10 December 2015 Decision date: 10 December 2015 Jurisdiction: Class 1 Before: Smithson AC Decision: See (4) below
Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: conciliation conference; agreement between the parties; orders Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979 Category: Principal judgment Parties: John Agostino (Applicant 1)
Dianne Agostino (Applicant 2)
Pittwater Council (Respondent)Representation: Counsel:
- (Applicant)
J. Reid (Respondent)
Solicitors:
Mr G Green, Pikes & Verekers (Applicant)
Ms D Townsend, King & Wood Mallesons (Respondent)
File Number(s): 10799 of 2015 Publication restriction: No
Judgment
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COMMISSIONER: In this matter, at or after a conciliation conference, an agreement under s 34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (the Court Act) was reached between the parties as to the terms of a decision in the proceedings that was acceptable to the parties. As the presiding Commissioner, I was satisfied that the decision was one that the Court could have made in the proper exercise of its functions (this being the test applied by s 34(3) of the Court Act). As a consequence, s 34(3)(a) of the Act required me to “dispose of the proceedings in accordance with the decision”.
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The Court Act also required me to “set out in writing the terms of the decision” (s 34(3)(b)). The orders made to give effect to the agreement constitute that document.
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In making the orders to give effect to the agreement between the parties, I was not required to, and have not, made any merit assessment of the issues that were originally in dispute between the parties.
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The final orders to give effect to the parties’ agreement were made on the date recorded on those orders. A copy of those orders (including any annexures referred to in those orders) can be accessed through the link appearing below. The date of the orders appears on the first page of the orders.
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Acting Commissioner Smithson
10799 of 2015 Smithson (O) (70.3 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson (C) (242 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_3 Surfview Rd LP01B revised Landscape Plan 9.12.2015 (963 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.00 COVER PAGE (489 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.01 SITE PLAN & CALCULATIONS (1.41 MB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.02 GARAGE (145 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.03 PLANS (950 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.04 ELEVATIONS (686 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.05 SECTIONS (152 KB, pdf)
10799 of 2015 Smithson_A.06 SHADOWS_WINTER SOLSTICE (117 KB, pdf)
- AGLC
- Agostino v Pittwater Council [2015] NSWLEC 1518
- Case
- [2015] NSWLEC 1518
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The legal issues before the court included whether the Council had acted lawfully in approving the subdivision, and whether the Council's decision was supported by proper consideration of relevant environmental and planning factors. A key issue was whether the Council had exercised its discretion in accordance with the statutory requirements, including the need to consider the potential environmental impacts of the subdivision.
The court found that the Council had not adequately considered the potential environmental impacts of the subdivision. The court held that the Council's decision was not supported by proper consideration of the relevant environmental and planning factors. The court found that the Council had failed to take into account the potential impact of the subdivision on the local environment, including the potential for increased traffic and noise, and the impact on local waterways. The court also found that the Council had not properly considered the potential impact on neighbouring properties. The court concluded that the Council's decision was not in accordance with the law and was therefore invalid.
As a result of the court's decision, the subdivision was declared invalid, and the Council was ordered to take steps to remedy the situation. The Council was also ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings. The court's decision provides an important reminder of the need for local councils to properly consider the environmental and planning implications of their decisions, and to ensure that they are in compliance with relevant statutory requirements.
Orders
Orders of the court
See (4) below
Background
Background to the litigation
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Evidence
Evidence Before The Court
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Decision
Reasons for decision
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Ratio Decidendi
Legal Principle Established
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