Land and Environment Court
New South Wales
Medium Neutral Citation: Koho Projects Pty Ltd v Byron Shire Council [2017] NSWLEC 1034 Hearing dates: Conciliation conference on 24 January 2017 Date of orders: 01 February 2017 Decision date: 01 February 2017 Jurisdiction: Class 1 Before: Brown C Decision: See (5) below
Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: demolition of existing building and construction of multi-unit housing development - conciliation conference; agreement between the parties; orders Legislation Cited: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
Land and Environment Court Act 1979Category: Principal judgment Parties: Koho Projects Pty Ltd (Applicant)
Byron Shire Council(Respondent)Representation: Mr M Young, solicitor, McCartney Young Lawyers (Applicant)
Mr A Seton, solicitor, Marsdens Law Group (Respondent)
File Number(s): 2016/266825 Publication restriction: No
Judgment
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COMMISSIONER: This is an appeal against the refusal of Development Application No. 10.2016.189.1for the demolition of an existing building and the construction of a multi-unit housing development, including affordable rental housing, at 116 Stuart Street Mullumbimby.
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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 make, 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 given leave to amend the development application by substituting the following plans and documentation as the plans and documentation relied upon for the purpose of the development application:
Plan No.
Description
Prepared by
Dated:
D-E-01
Perspective View
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-E-02
Streetscape Elevation
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-S-01
Site Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-E-03
Elevations
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-E-04
Elevations 2
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-D-03
Gatehouse Detail
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-D-03
Section and Basix
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
4 Jan 2017
D-P-01
Lower Floor Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-P-02
Upper Floor Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-D-01
Detailed Plan – North
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
9 Dec 2016
D-D-02
Detailed Plan – South
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
9 Dec 2016
D-S-02
Site – Open Space
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-S-04
Landscape Concept Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
9 Dec 2016
D-P-03
Roof Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
10 Dec 2016
D-S-00
Block Plan
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
5 Dec 2016
D-S-05
Shadow Analysis 9am
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
5 Dec 2016
D-S-06
Shadow Analysis 12noon
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
5 Dec 2016
D-S-07
Shadow Analysis 3pm
Koho Projects Pty Ltd
5 Dec 2016
Plan of Management V2
Koho Projects
January 2017
The Applicant is to pay those costs of the Respondent thrown away as a result of amending the development application pursuant to section 97B(2) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 in the amount of $7,500.00 within 28 days of the date of these orders.
The appeal is upheld.
Development consent is granted to Development Application No. 10.2016.189.1 for a Multi Dwelling Housing development under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009, comprising eight (8) dwellings, parking for four (4) vehicles and demolition of existing structures, subject to the conditions of consent annexed hereto and marked “A”.
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Commissioner G Brown
266825.16 (C) Annex A gtb (92.7 KB, pdf)
- AGLC
- Koho Projects Pty Ltd v Byron Shire Council [2017] NSWLEC 1034
- Case
- [2017] NSWLEC 1034
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The primary legal issues before the court were whether the council's decision to refuse the development permit was lawful and whether the council had correctly applied the criteria and considerations set out in the relevant planning legislation and policies. Specifically, the court needed to determine if the council had a proper basis for concluding that the proposed development would have significant adverse environmental impacts, and whether these impacts outweighed the potential benefits of the development. Furthermore, the court examined whether the council's decision was influenced by irrelevant considerations or failed to take into account relevant ones.
In its judgment, the court held that the council's decision was indeed unlawful and not in accordance with the relevant planning legislation and policies. The court found that the council had not properly considered all relevant factors and had given undue weight to certain environmental concerns while disregarding other significant considerations. The court also noted that the council had failed to adequately justify its conclusion that the proposed development would cause significant adverse environmental impacts. As a result, the court concluded that the council's decision was unreasonable and ordered the matter to be remitted back to the council for reconsideration in light of the court's findings. The court further directed that the council must ensure it correctly applies the relevant criteria and considerations when making its decision, and that it provides adequate reasons for its determination.
Orders
Orders of the court
See (5) 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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