Petrie v Dickson [2024] NSWSC 972

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Petrie v Dickson [2024] NSWSC 972 Hearing dates: 18, 19 March 2024; further written submissions 11 April 2024 Date of orders: 9 August 2024 Decision date: 09 August 2024 Jurisdiction: Equity - Real Property List Before: Parker J Decision: See [316]-[318] Catchwords: LAND LAW — easements — purported easement for use of servient land "for garden use", including planting and landscaping, and construction of garden shed for storage — interpretation — whether use of shed for storage limited to gardening items — whether grant allowed for common use by servient owner — "reasonable use" — validity — whether grant capable of forming subject matter of easement — "ouster principle" — effect on servient area and servient lot as a whole — grant invalid as an easement Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 Law of Property Act 1925 (UK) Cases Cited: Attorney-General (Southern Nigeria) v John Holt & Co (Liverpool) Ltd [1915] AC 599 Aussie Skips Recycling Pty Ltd v Strathfield Municipal Council [2020] 103 NSWLR 834 Barter v Theunissen [2024] NSWSC 326 Batchelor v Marlow [2001] EWCA Civ 1051 Bland v Levi [2000] NSWSC 161 Brydall Pty Ltd v Owners of Strata Plan 66794 [2009] NSWSC 819 Bursill Enterprises Pty Ltd v Berger Bros Co Pty Ltd (1971) 124 CLR 73 City Developments Pty Ltd v Registrar General (2000) 135 NTR 1 Clos Farming Estates Pty Ltd v Easton [2001] NSWSC 525 Clos Farming Estates Pty Ltd v Easton [2002] NSWCA 389 Copeland v Greenhalf [1952] Ch 488 Dyce v Hay (1852) 1 Macq 305 Evanel Pty Ltd v Nelson (1995) 39 NSWLR 209 Harada v Registrar of Titles [1981] VR 743 Hare v Van Brugge (2013) 84 NSWLR 41 Jea Holdings (Aust) Pty Ltd v Registrar-General of NSW [2013] NSWSC 587 Laming v Jennings [2018] VSCA 335 London and Blenheim Estates Ltd v Ladbroke Retail Parks Ltd [1992] 1 WLR 1278 London and Blenheim Estates Ltd v Ladbroke Retail Parks Ltd [1994] 1 WLR 31 Miller v Emcer Products Ltd [1956] Ch 304 Moncrieff v Jamieson [2007] UKHL 42 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Ltd v Poldune Pty Ltd (1996) 7 BPR 15,078 Re Ellenborough Park [1956] Ch 131 Regency Villas Title Ltd v Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd [2019] AC 553 Registrar General of New South Wales v Jea Holdings (Aust) Pty Ltd (2015) 88 NSWLR 321 Reilly v Booth (1890) 44 Ch D 12 Riley v Penttila [1974] VR 547 Ryan v Sutherland [2011] NSWSC 1397 Saint v Jenner [1973] Ch 275 Stolyar v Towers [2018] NSWCA 6 The Owners of East Fremantle Shopping Centre West Strata Plan 8618 v Action Supermarkets Pty Ltd [2008] WASCA 180 Tileska v Bevelon (1989) 4 BPR 9601 Towers v Stolyar [2017] NSWSC 526 Trewin v Felton [2007] NSWSC 851 Virdi v Chana [2008] EWHC 2901 (Ch) Weigall v Toman [2008] 1 Qd R 192 Westfield Management Ltd v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd (2007) 233 CLR 528 Wilcox v Richardson (1997) 43 NSWLR 4 Wright v Macadam [1949] 2 KB 744 Texts Cited: GC Cheshire, The Modern Law of Real Property (7th ed, 1954, Butterworths) P Herzfeld and T Prince, Interpretation (2nd ed, 2020, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Janet Marie Petrie (Plaintiff) Graeme John Dickson (First Defendant) Denise Carmel Dickson (Second Defendant) Representation: Counsel: T Alexis SC / C Winnett (Plaintiff) P Tomasetti SC / D Robertson (Defendants) Solicitors: Hones Lawyers Pty Limited (Plaintiff) Dentons Australia Limited (Defendants) File Number(s): 2023/173361 Publication restriction: Nil