Taggett v The Council of the Shire of Tweed

In *Taggett v The Council of the Shire of Tweed* [1993] NSWCA 260, the New South Wales Court of Appeal considered a dispute between Mr. Taggett and the Council of the Shire of Tweed concerning the Council's refusal to grant development consent for a proposed residential subdivision. Mr. Taggett sought to develop land for residential purposes, but the Council denied his application.

The central legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the Council had acted unlawfully in refusing the development consent. Specifically, the Court had to determine if the Council's decision was affected by an error of law, particularly in relation to the proper construction and application of the relevant planning legislation and policies governing development in the Shire.

The Court of Appeal found that the Council had erred in law by failing to properly consider and give sufficient weight to the relevant planning controls and policies that were in force at the time of the application. The Court held that the Council's refusal was based on considerations that were either irrelevant or not given the appropriate weight under the planning scheme. Consequently, the Court allowed the appeal, finding that the Council's decision was invalid. The Court ordered that the matter be remitted to the Council for reconsideration according to law.