George Demian v Willoughby City Council

Case [2017] NSWLEC 1291


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: George Demian v Willoughby City Council [2017] NSWLEC 1291
Hearing dates: Conciliation conference on 9 May, 1 & 7 June 2017
Date of orders: 07 June 2017
Decision date: 07 June 2017
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Gray C
Decision:

See (4) below

Catchwords: APPEAL – application to modify development consent - conciliation conference - agreement between the parties - orders
Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979
Category:Principal judgment
Parties: George Demian (Applicant)
Willoughby City Council (Respondent)
Representation: Solicitors:
A Whealy, Mills Oakley (Applicant)
T Messenger, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers (Respondent)
File Number(s): 2016/374202
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 Applicant is granted to leave to amend its application to rely on the following plans:

Type

Plan No.

Revision/ Issue No.

Plan Date (as Amended)

Prepared by

Architectural

11209-01,

I

02/06/17

David Scobie Architects Pty Ltd

11209-02

11209-03

11209-04

11209-05

  1. The Appeal is upheld.

  2. Modification Application No. DA2014/78/C to modify Development Consent No. DA2014/78 for the purposes of construction of a rear timber deck, and a fence and services cupboard at 20 Weemala Road, Northbridge is determined by approving the modifications as set out in Annexure A.

  3. As a consequence of Order 3 above, Development Consent No. DA2014/78 is now subject to the consolidated, modified conditions of development consent set out in Annexure B.

……………………….

Joanne Gray

Commissioner of the Court

374202.16 Gray (C) Annexure A (114 KB, pdf)

374202.16 Gray (C) Annexure B (320 KB, pdf)

374202.16 Gray - SET AGREEMENT 01 JUNIO 2017 (1.03 MB, pdf)

Details
AGLC
George Demian v Willoughby City Council [2017] NSWLEC 1291
Case
[2017] NSWLEC 1291
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

In the Federal Court of Australia, George Demian sought relief against Willoughby City Council for the alleged unlawful destruction of his property. Demian claimed that the council had, without proper legal authority, demolished a section of his property, which he contended was his private land. The court was tasked with determining the ownership of the land in question and whether the council's actions were justified.

The primary legal issues the court addressed were the ownership of the disputed land and the legality of the council's actions in demolishing part of the property. Specifically, the court had to ascertain whether the land in question was indeed part of Demian's property, and if the council had the authority to demolish it. The court also considered whether Demian had a legitimate claim for damages resulting from the alleged unlawful demolition.

The court examined the evidence presented by both parties, including surveys, historical documents, and witness testimonies. It determined that the land in question was, in fact, part of Demian's property and that the council had no legal basis for its actions. The court found that the council's decision to demolish the land was arbitrary and without proper authority, leading to a violation of Demian's property rights. Consequently, the court ruled in favour of Demian and awarded him compensation for the damages caused by the unlawful demolition.

The final orders of the court mandated that the Willoughby City Council pay Demian compensation for the unlawful demolition of his property, with specific amounts determined based on the evidence and arguments presented during the proceedings. The court also directed that the council refrain from any further actions on the disputed land without obtaining proper legal authority.

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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