van Amstel v Chief Executive, Department of Lands

The case of van Amstel v Chief Executive, Department of Lands involved appeals against valuations of land owned by the appellants, Rudo and Frouwke van Amstel. The appeals concerned valuations placed on the land as at relevant dates of 30 June 1993 and 1 January 1995. The appellants objected to the valuations and appealed to the Land Court, seeking a valuation of $121,995 for each date. The court reviewed evidence and found that the subject land was not used for farming purposes and therefore should not be valued as farming land under s.17 of the Valuation of Land Act 1944. The court also found that the subject land was used for residential purposes and should be valued for its highest and best use as a residential property. The court determined the valuation for the 1993 appeal at Two Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,300,000) and for the 1995 appeal at Three Hundred and Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($375,000).