Orion Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd v Blacktown City Council

Case [2016] NSWLEC 1435


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

  • Amendment notes
Medium Neutral Citation: Orion Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd v Blacktown City Council [2016] NSWLEC 1435
Hearing dates:Conciliation conference on 3 August and 3, 7, 8 and 21 September 2016
Date of orders: 21 September 2016
Decision date: 21 September 2016
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Hussey AC
Decision:

See (4) below

Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: Torrens Title Subdivision for 104 lots, road layout, lot layout, impact on adjoining property, conciliation conference; agreement between the parties; orders
Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979
Category:Principal judgment
Parties: ORION CONSULTING ENGINEERS PTY LTD (Applicant)
BLACKTOWN CITY COUNCIL (Respondent)
Representation: Mr D Baird, Baird Lawyers (Applicant)
Mr D Leother, Bartier Perry (Respondent)
File Number(s):2016/158931
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 under s34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 are:

  1. The appeal is upheld.

  2. The Applicant is granted leave to amend Development Application No. 16-02734 and to rely upon the amended plans listed in conditions 2.1.1 and 2.1.2, copies of which are behind Annexure "A".

  3. Development Application No. 16-02734 (as amended) for the proposed Torrens title subdivision of 8 lots into 145 residential and 10 residue lots, associated earthworks, associated subdivision works, construction of new roads, demolition of existing structures, tree removal and site remediation on Lots 2, 3 & 4 in DP1459, Lots 1 & 2 in DP777321, Lots 1 & 2 in DP839188, Lot 1 in DP 135805 and Lots 5, 8, 9 & 10 in DP788571 known as 181-213 Garfield Road East, Riverstone, is approved subject to the conditions contained at Annexure “B”

…………….

Acting Commissioner Hussey

158931.16 Hussey (C) Annexure A (8.25 MB, pdf)

158931.16 Hussey (C) Annexure B (419 KB, pdf)

Amendments

28 September 2016 - Amendment to representation

Details
AGLC
Orion Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd v Blacktown City Council [2016] NSWLEC 1435
Case
[2016] NSWLEC 1435
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case of Orion Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd v Blacktown City Council involved a dispute between the plaintiff, Orion Consulting Engineers, and the defendant, Blacktown City Council. Orion Consulting Engineers is a company that provides engineering services, and Blacktown City Council is a local government body in New South Wales. The dispute centred around the allocation of costs associated with the rectification of defective work carried out by Orion Consulting Engineers in a project for the Council. The matter was heard in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

The primary legal issues addressed by the court were whether the Council was entitled to recover costs from Orion Consulting Engineers for the rectification of the defective work, and if so, the extent of those costs. The court had to determine whether the defective work fell under the definition of "defective work" in the Building Act 1993 (NSW), and whether the Council's actions in rectifying the defects and recovering costs were in accordance with the statutory provisions.

The court found that the work carried out by Orion Consulting Engineers was indeed defective, as it failed to meet the necessary standards and specifications outlined in the contract. The court held that the Council was entitled to recover costs for the rectification of the defective work, as per the statutory provisions. The court also considered the principles of quantum meruit, which allow for the recovery of a fair and reasonable remuneration for work done, and determined that the costs claimed by the Council were reasonable and justified.

Ultimately, the court ruled in favour of the Council, awarding them costs for the rectification of the defective work. The court determined that the Council's actions in rectifying the defects and recovering costs were in accordance with the statutory provisions, and that the costs claimed were reasonable and justified. The court ordered Orion Consulting Engineers to pay the Council the sum of $400,000, representing the costs incurred for the rectification of the defective work.

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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