Mulder v Laura Holdings Pty Ltd [2023] NSWSC 812

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mulder v Laura Holdings Pty Ltd [2023] NSWSC 812 Hearing dates: 29 – 30 May 2023 Decision date: 13 July 2023 Jurisdiction: Equity - Real Property List Before: Peden J Decision: Orders made for imposition of an easement under s 88K. Parties to bring in short minutes: see [155]. Catchwords: LAND LAW — Easements — Creation of easements — Creation by order of court — Application for easement under s 88K of the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) for right of carriageway — Plaintiffs are owners of rural land and defendants are neighbours — Where no other practical means of vehicular access to plaintiffs' landlocked rural land exists — Whether easement reasonably necessary for effective use and development of plaintiffs' land where alternative access route proposed by defendant — Where effects of proposed easement relatively minor — Where alternative access route is inferior — Whether plaintiff made all reasonable attempts to obtain easement or easement having same effect — Proper construction of an easement having the "same effect" — Whether discretion to impose easement should be exercised — Whether defendant could be adequately compensated for imposition of easement — Whether possible to assess compensation for diminution in land value — Adequacy of monetary compensation for intangible losses — Factors relevant to assessment of compensation — Easement imposed — Determination of costs deferred Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) ss 88K(1), 88K(2)(a), 88K(2)(b), 88K(2)(c), 88K(4), 88K(5) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 79 Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (NSW) s 40 Property Legislation Amendment (Easements) Bill 1995 (NSW) Roads Act 1993 (NSW) Pt 6, Div 4 Cases Cited: 117 York Street Pty Ltd v Proprietors of Strata Plan No 16123 (1998) 43 NSWLR 504 Antipas v Kutcher [2006] NSWLEC 42 Bone v Wallalong Investments [2012] NSWSC 137 Coles Myer NSW Ltd v Dymocks Book Arcade Ltd (1996) 7 BPR 14,638 Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) v St Helens Farm (ACT) Pty Ltd (1981) 146 CLR 336 Crawley v Baxter (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 648 Dasreef Pty Ltd v Hawchar (2011) 243 CLR 588 Debbula Pty Ltd v The Owners – Strata Plan 6954 [2003] NSWSC 189 Donnellan v Woodland [2012] NSWCA 433 Durack v De Winton (1989) 9 BPR 16,043 Evans v Cornish Nominees Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1295 Gordon v Lever (2019) 101 NSWLR 427 Hanny v Lewis (1998) 9 BPR 16,205 ING Bank (Australia) Ltd v O'Shea [2010] NSWCA 71 Katakouzinos v Roufir Pty Ltd [1999] NSWSC 1045 Khattar v Wiese [2005] NSWSC 1014 King v Carr-Gregg [2002] NSWSC 379 Kyluk Pty Ltd v Chief Executive, Office of Environment and Heritage [2013] NSWCCA 114 Lonergan v Lewis [2011] NSWSC 1133 Marshall v Council of the City of Wollongong [2000] NSWSC 137 Mitchell v Boutagy [2001] NSWSC 1045 Moorebank Recyclers Pty Ltd v Tanlane Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 445 Muhibbah Engineering (M) BHD v Giuseppe Vartuli [2009] NSWSC 265 Owners Strata Plan 13635 v Ryan [2006] NSWSC 221 Pasade Holdings Pty Ltd v Council of City of Sydney [2006] NSWSC 299 Property Partnerships Pacific Pty Ltd v The Owners of Strata Plan 58482 [2006] NSWLEC 709 Rainbowforce Pty Ltd v Skyton Holdings Pty Ltd [2010] NSWLEC 2 Shi v ABI-K Pty Ltd (2014) 87 NSWLR 568 Studholme v Rawson [2020] NSWCA 76 Swann v Spiropoulos [2006] NSWSC 860 Tanlane Pty Ltd v Moorebank Recyclers Pty Ltd (No 2) [2011] NSWSC 1286 Tout v Johnson [2021] NSWSC 1311 Tregoyd Gardens Pty Ltd v Jervis (1997) 8 BPR 15,845 Weissflog v Community Association DP 270159 [2022] NSWSC 239 Wengarin Pty Limited v Byron Shire Council [1999] NSWSC 485 Texts Cited: Brendan Edgeworth, Butt's Land Law (7th ed, 2017, Lawbook Co) Lyria Bennett Moses, Brendan Edgeworth and Cathy Sherry, Property and Security: Selected Essays (2010, Lawbook Co) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Jacobus Mulder (First Plaintiff) Emma Wilhelmina Mulder (Second Plaintiff) Laura Holdings Pty Ltd (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: G Carolan (Plaintiffs) B Le Plastrier and S Hanscomb (Defendant)