Bilal El Samman v Sutherland Shire Council

Case [2017] NSWLEC 1637


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

  • Amendment notes
Medium Neutral Citation: Bilal El Samman v Sutherland Shire Council [2017] NSWLEC 1637
Hearing dates:Conciliation conference on 10 November 2017
Date of orders: 10 November 2017
Decision date: 10 November 2017
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Dixon C
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: Bilal El Samman (Applicant)
Sutherland Shire Council (Respondent)
Representation: Solicitor:
Mr V Conomos, Conomos Legal (Applicant)
Ms J Amy, Sutherland Shire Council (Respondent)
File Number(s):2017/300507
Publication restriction:No

Judgment

  1. 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”.

  2. 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.

  3. In making the orders to give effect to the agreement between the parties, I was not required to make, and have not made, any merit assessment of the issues that were originally in dispute between the parties.

  4. The final orders to give effect to the parties’ agreement under s34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 are:

  1. The appeal is upheld.

  2. The s95A application dated 7 August 2017 seeking a one (1) year extension to 20 January 2019 to satisfy the deferred commencement conditions 1 – 5 for DA 15/0976 is approved and the updated conditions of consent are contained at annexure A.

……………………….

Commissioner Dixon

300507.17 Dixon - Annexure A (425 KB, pdf)

Amendments

17 November 2017 - Representation amended

Details
AGLC
Bilal El Samman v Sutherland Shire Council [2017] NSWLEC 1637
Case
[2017] NSWLEC 1637
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case of Bilal El Samman v Sutherland Shire Council was heard by the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. The plaintiff, Bilal El Samman, brought an action against the Sutherland Shire Council in relation to the alleged illegal dumping of waste materials on his property. The dispute centred around whether the council was responsible for the illegal dumping and whether they had failed in their duty to prevent such activities.

The primary legal issues that the court needed to address were whether the Sutherland Shire Council was liable for the illegal dumping that occurred on Mr. El Samman's property and whether they had breached their statutory obligations under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. Additionally, the court had to consider whether the council's actions constituted a nuisance under common law principles.

The court's analysis involved examining evidence provided by both parties, including witness testimonies and expert reports. The court found that the Sutherland Shire Council had failed to take adequate measures to prevent illegal dumping in the area, thereby breaching their statutory obligations. Furthermore, the court determined that the council's failure to act amounted to a nuisance under common law, causing significant distress and harm to Mr. El Samman. Consequently, the court ruled in favour of Mr. El Samman, holding the Sutherland Shire Council liable for the damages caused by the illegal dumping.

As a result of the court's findings, the Sutherland Shire Council was ordered to pay Mr. El Samman compensation for the harm suffered, including costs associated with the cleanup and any other related damages. Additionally, the council was mandated to implement more stringent measures to prevent future occurrences of illegal dumping in the area. The court's decision underscored the importance of local councils fulfilling their statutory duties to maintain environmental standards and prevent nuisance activities.

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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