Vollmer v Port Stephens Council

Land and Environment Court

New South Wales

• Amendment notes

Medium Neutral Citation:

Vollmer v Port Stephens Council [2025] NSWLEC 120

Hearing dates:

21 October 2025

Date of orders:

27 October 2025

Decision date:

27 October 2025

Jurisdiction:

Class 1

Before:

Preston CJ

Decision:

The Court orders:

(1) The appeal is dismissed.

(2) The appellants are to pay the respondent’s costs of the appeal.

Catchwords:

APPEAL – appeal against Commissioner’s decision on question of law – subdivision of land – consolidation of existing lots and simultaneous redivision into new lots – subdivision contravenes minimum lot size development standard – development consent can be granted if boundary adjustment – meaning of boundary adjustment – subdivision not by way of boundary adjustment

Legislation Cited:

Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), s 195

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW), ss 1.5(1)(b), 6.2

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW), ss 8(b), 33

Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (NSW), s 56(1)

Port Stephens Local Environmental Plan 2013, cll 2.6(1), 4.1, 4.1E, 4.6

State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, cl 2.75

Cases Cited:

Australian Gas Light Co v Valuer-General (1940) 40 SR (NSW) 126; (1940) 57 WN (NSW) 53; 14 LGR (NSW) 149

Azzopardi v Tasman UEB Industries Ltd (1985) 4 NSWLR 139

Boast v Eurobodalla Shire Council, unreported, LEC No 20110/91, 22 November 1991, Cripps J

Hope v Bathurst City Council (1980) 144 CLR 1; [1980] HCA 16

McCabe & Others v Blue Mountains City Council (2006) 145 LGERA 86; [2006] NSWLEC 176

Randwick Municipal Council v Manousaki (1988) 66 LGRA 330

Texts Cited:

Macquarie Dictionary

Category:

Principal judgment

Parties:

Tony Vollmer (First Appellant)
David Vollmer (Second Appellant)

Port Stephens Council (Respondent)

Representation:

Counsel:
A Shearer SC (Appellants)
H Irish (Respondent)

Solicitors:
Bick & Steele (Appellants)
Local Government Legal (Respondent)

File Number(s):

2025/269776

Publication restriction:

NIL

 Decision under appeal 

Court or tribunal:

Land and Environment Court

Jurisdiction:

Class 1

Citation:

[2025] NSWLEC 1428

Date of Decision:

17 June 2025

Before:

Washington C

File Number(s):

2024/315226

JUDGMENT

Nature of appeal and outcome

1. Tony and David Vollmer (the Vollmers) appeal against the decision and orders of a Commissioner dismissing their appeal and refusing their development application for the subdivision of their land at Wallalong. The Vollmers’ appeal, under s 56A(1) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (NSW), is limited to error on a question of law.

2. The Vollmers raise two grounds in the summons commencing the appeal involving the Commissioner’s interpretation and application of cl 4.1E of the Port Stephens Local Environmental Plan 2013 (PSLEP). Clause 4.1E(3) empowers the consent authority to grant development consent to a certain type of subdivision, being the subdivision of land by way of a boundary adjustment between adjoining lots, where cl 4.1(3) of PSLEP would otherwise prevent the grant of development consent because the size of any resulting lot would be less than the minimum size shown on the Lot Size Map in relation to that land.

3. The subdivision of land proposed by the Vollmers…