Susannah Cassar v Inner West Council

Case [2016] NSWLEC 1477


Land and Environment Court


New South Wales

  • Amendment notes
Medium Neutral Citation: Susannah Cassar v Inner West Council [2016] NSWLEC 1477
Hearing dates:Conciliation conference on 31 August, 1 September 2016
Date of orders: 05 October 2016
Decision date: 05 October 2016
Jurisdiction:Class 1
Before: Dickson C
Decision:

See [5] below

Catchwords: DEVELOPMENT APPEAL under s97(1) against refusal - conciliation conference - agreement between the parties - orders
Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
Category:Principal judgment
Parties: The Plan Shop (Applicant)
Inner West Council (Respondent)
Representation: Solicitors:
Mr. Loether, Bartier Perry, (Applicant)
Mr. Bonnamo, Lindsay Taylor Lawyers (Respondent)
File Number(s):2016/00161769
Publication restriction:No

Judgment

  1. COMMISSIONER: This is an appeal pursuant to the provisions of s 97(1) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 against the refusal of Development Application No. DA 2015/634 demolition of the existing dwelling, tree removal and construction of a dual-occupancy dwelling and swimming pool with torrens title subdivision (the proposal) at 24 Henry St, Leichhardt (the site) by Inner West Council (the Council).

  2. The appeal was subject to mandatory conciliation on 1 September 2016, in accordance with the provisions of s 34AA of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (LEC Act). In this matter, at or after a conciliation conference, an agreement, under s 34(3) of the LEC 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 LEC 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 LEC 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, 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 are:

  1. The applicant is granted leave to amend its details from ‘The Plan shop’ to ‘Jason and Susannah Cassar’.

  2. The appeal is upheld.

  3. The Applicant is granted leave to amend development application DA/2015/634 and to rely upon the plans set out in operational Condition 1 in Annexure B , and attached as Annexure A[The Plan Shop dated 15/9/16 and 30/9/16];

  4. The Applicant is to pay the Respondent costs thrown away as a result of amending the development application pursuant to s97B of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 as may be agreed or assessed.

  5. Development application number: DA 2015/634 for demolition of the existing dwelling, tree removal and construction of a dual-occupancy dwelling and swimming pool with torrens title subdivision at 24 Henry St, Leichhardt (Lot 1 DP1093662) is approved, subject to the conditions in Annexure B.

…………….

D M Dickson

Commissioner of the Court

161769.16 Dickson - Annexure A - Part 1 (7.59 MB, pdf)

161769.16 Dickson - Annexure A - Part 2 (3.88 MB, pdf)

161769.16 Dickson - Annexure B (374 KB, pdf)

161769.16 Dickson - Annexure A - List of plans (135 KB, pdf)

Amendments

24 October 2016 - Added 'Conciliation conference on' in front of the Hearing dates on the cover sheet.

Details
AGLC
Susannah Cassar v Inner West Council [2016] NSWLEC 1477
Case
[2016] NSWLEC 1477
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case between Susannah Cassar and Inner West Council was brought before the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. The dispute revolved around a noise complaint filed by Susannah Cassar against the Inner West Council. Cassar alleged that the noise from a nearby property, which she claimed was a residential property, was causing her significant disturbance and affecting her quality of life. The council was accused of failing to adequately address the noise issue.

The court was tasked with determining whether the noise emanating from the property constituted a nuisance under the relevant statutory provisions and whether the council had discharged its statutory duties properly in handling the complaint. Additionally, the court needed to assess whether there was a valid defence raised by the respondent and whether the complainant had the right to seek relief under the applicable laws.

In its judgment, the court examined the statutory framework governing noise complaints and nuisances. The court found that the noise levels were indeed above the acceptable thresholds, thereby constituting a nuisance. It was established that the council had not adequately addressed the complaint, thereby failing in its duty to manage and mitigate such issues. The court dismissed the council's defence, holding that their response was insufficient. Consequently, the court granted relief to the complainant, ordering the council to take appropriate action to address the noise nuisance effectively.

The final orders mandated that the council review the noise complaint, implement measures to ensure compliance with noise regulations, and report back to the court on the actions taken within a specified timeframe. This ruling underscored the importance of both the council and property owners in maintaining community standards and addressing public nuisances effectively.

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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