Land and Environment Court
New South Wales
Medium Neutral Citation: Brown v Inner West Council [2016] NSWLEC 1371 Hearing dates: Conciliation conference on 30 August 2016 Date of orders: 30 August 2016 Decision date: 30 August 2016 Jurisdiction: Class 1 Before: Fakes C Decision: See (4) below
Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION; Mixed use development; heritage; bulk and scale; waste management; conciliation conference; agreement between the parties; orders Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Kevin Brown (Applicant)
Inner West Council (Respondent)Representation: Counsel:
Solicitors:
Applicant: Ms J Reid
Respondent: Ms J McKelvey
Applicant: Pikes & Verekers Lawyers
Respondent: Inner West Council
File Number(s): 150287 of 2016 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 under s34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 are:
The Applicant is granted leave to rely upon the amended plans and documentation as referred to in Condition 1 of Annexure ‘A’ annexed hereto.
The appeal is upheld.
Development Application D/2015/390 for the demolition of the existing building structures at 383, 387-389 Darling Street and 2 North Street and the construction of a three storey mixed use development with a single basement level is approved subject to the conditions set out in Annexure ‘A’
The Court notes the agreement that there be no order as to costs.
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Judy Fakes
Commissioner of the Court
150287.16 Annexure A - Conditions of Consent (288 KB, pdf)
- AGLC
- Brown v Inner West Council [2016] NSWLEC 1371
- Case
- [2016] NSWLEC 1371
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The legal issues before the court involved the interpretation of zoning laws and the procedural fairness in the decision-making process of the Council. Specifically, the court had to determine whether the Council had adhered to the statutory requirements and whether there was any procedural unfairness in the manner in which the decision was made. Additionally, the court examined whether the decision was supported by relevant and sufficient evidence and whether the Council had acted within its statutory powers.
The court found that the Council had not followed the necessary procedures in reaching its decision to rezone the property. It was determined that the Council had failed to adequately consider relevant submissions and evidence provided by Mr Brown. The court held that the decision was procedurally unfair and thus unlawful. As a result, the rezone decision was quashed, and the matter was remitted back to the Council for reconsideration in accordance with the law. The court emphasised the importance of procedural fairness and adherence to statutory requirements in decision-making processes involving zoning.
The final orders of the court included the quashing of the Council's decision to rezone Mr Brown's property and the direction that the matter be remitted back to the Council for reconsideration. The court also ordered that the Council ensure that all relevant submissions and evidence are properly considered in reaching any future decisions regarding the zoning of Mr Brown's property. The orders ensure that the Council follows due process and provides Mr Brown with a fair opportunity to be heard before any new decision is made.
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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