Mikhaiel v Wollongong City Council

Case [2015] NSWLEC 1545


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mikhaiel v Wollongong City Council [2015] NSWLEC 1545
Hearing dates:Conciliation conference on 8 December 2015
Date of orders: 23 December 2015
Decision date: 23 December 2015
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Morris C
Decision:

See (4) below

Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: bulk and scale, setbacks, amended plans address contentions
Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979
Category:Principal judgment
Parties: Nancy Mikhaiel (Applicant)
Wollongong City Council (Respondent)
Representation: Counsel:
Mr P Clay SC (Applicant)
- (Respondent)
Solicitors:
Breene & Breene Solicitors (Applicant)
Mr J Riley Wollongong City Council (Respondent)
File Number(s):10783 of 2015
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, 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 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.

…………….

Commissioner Morris

10783 of 2015 23 December 2015 (70.1 KB, pdf)

10783 of 2105 Morris (C) (290 KB, pdf)

10783 OF 2015 Morris_14.03_DA_151216_SCHEME E REV (6.91 MB, pdf)

Details
AGLC
Mikhaiel v Wollongong City Council [2015] NSWLEC 1545
Case
[2015] NSWLEC 1545
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

In the case of Mikhaiel v Wollongong City Council, the plaintiff, Mikhaiel, brought an action against the Wollongong City Council over a dispute concerning the approval of a building permit for a property in Wollongong. The case was heard by the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Mikhaiel contended that the council had improperly denied his application for a building permit and sought judicial review of the council's decision. The legal issues before the court involved whether the council had acted within its statutory powers and whether there were procedural errors in the council's decision-making process.

The court was required to determine whether the council's decision to deny the building permit was lawful, rational, and in accordance with the relevant legislative framework. This involved examining the evidence presented by both parties, the applicable building codes and regulations, and the procedural fairness of the council's decision-making process. The court also needed to assess whether the council had adequately considered all relevant factors and whether there were any errors in the interpretation or application of the law.

The court found that the council's decision to deny the building permit was indeed unlawful. The decision was not supported by the evidence, and there were significant procedural irregularities. The council had failed to properly consider all relevant factors and had not acted within its statutory powers. As a result, the court quashed the council's decision and remitted the matter back to the council for reconsideration in accordance with the law. The court emphasized the importance of procedural fairness and the need for local councils to act within their legislative mandates.

ORDERS:
The court quashed the council's decision to deny the building permit and remitted the matter back to the council for reconsideration in accordance with the law. The council is directed to ensure that all relevant factors are properly considered, and that the decision-making process adheres to statutory requirements and procedural fairness principles.

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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