Ngoc Yen (Candice) Banh v City of Parramatta Council

Case [2018] NSWLEC 1058


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

  • Amendment notes
Medium Neutral Citation: Ngoc Yen (Candice) Banh v City of Parramatta Council [2018] NSWLEC 1058
Hearing dates: Conciliation conference on 13 February 2018
Date of orders: 13 February 2018
Decision date: 13 February 2018
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Gray C
Decision:

See (5) below

Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION – dual occupancy - conciliation conference - agreement between the parties - orders
Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979
Category:Principal judgment
Parties: Ngoc Yen (Candice) Banh (Applicant)
City of Parramatta Council (Respondent)
Representation: Solicitor:
Mr Gordon Hartley, Hartley Solicitors (Applicant)
Mr Ian Woodward, City of Parramatta Legal Services (Respondent)
File Number(s): 2017/285506
Publication restriction: No

Judgment

  1. COMMISSIONER: This is an appeal concerning a development application for the demolition of an existing structure and construction of a two storey attached dual occupancy at 313 Kissing Point Road Dundas. The application includes a stormwater management plan that is designed to be adequate to drain water from the site through an OSD and piped system in all storms up to and including a 100 year ARI storm event.

  2. In this matter, at a conciliation conference conducted pursuant to s 34AA of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (the Court Act), an agreement under s 34(3) of 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”.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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; and

  2. Development consent is granted to DA/559/2017 for demolition of existing single storey dwelling, tree removal and construction of a dual occupancy with Torrens Title subdivision at 313 Kissing Point Road, Dundas subject to the conditions in Annexure ‘A’.

……………………….

Joanne Gray

Commissioner of the Court

Annexure A (110 KB, pdf)

Amendments

14 February 2018 - Corrections to catchwords and date of order.

Details
AGLC
Ngoc Yen (Candice) Banh v City of Parramatta Council [2018] NSWLEC 1058
Case
[2018] NSWLEC 1058
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case of Ngoc Yen (Candice) Banh v City of Parramatta Council was before the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The plaintiff, Ngoc Yen Banh, sought compensation for injuries sustained while slipping on an icy surface at the Parramatta Square Shopping Centre, which she alleged was due to the defendant's negligence. The central issue was whether the City of Parramatta Council had breached its duty of care by failing to remove the ice from the footpath in a timely manner, leading to Ms. Banh's injuries.

The court had to determine if the council had sufficient grounds to argue that the ice formed naturally and was not foreseeable, or if it should have been removed earlier under the relevant local government legislation and common law principles of negligence. Additionally, the court considered the plaintiff's contributory negligence, assessing whether she could have taken reasonable steps to avoid the icy surface. The analysis involved examining the weather conditions, the council's response times, and the adequacy of the council's maintenance practices.

In its decision, the court found that the council had indeed breached its duty of care. The evidence presented indicated that the ice had been present for an unreasonable period and that the council's response to remove it was delayed. The court rejected the council's argument that the ice formed naturally and was unforeseeable, noting that the conditions were such that the council should have acted more promptly. The court also found that while Ms. Banh contributed to her injuries, her contribution was not enough to absolve the council of liability. Consequently, the plaintiff was awarded damages reflecting both the council's negligence and her own contributory negligence.

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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