FitzGerald v Foxes Lane (NSW) Pty Ltd [2024] NSWSC 1312

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: FitzGerald v Foxes Lane (NSW) Pty Ltd [2024] NSWSC 1312 Hearing dates: 30 September 2024 – 2 October 2024; further submissions 4 October 2024 Date of orders: 21 October 2024 Decision date: 21 October 2024 Jurisdiction: Equity - Real Property List Before: Peden J Decision: At [153] Catchwords: LAND LAW — Easements — Construction of easements — Whether building a crowned unsealed road and drains is reasonably necessary for the dominant owner's enjoyment of his rights under the easement — Whether servient owner is entitled to plant crops over right of carriageway LAND LAW — Easements — Extinguishment of easements — Extinguishment by statute — Whether continued existence of right of carriageway would impede the reasonable user without securing a practical benefit to dominant owner — Whether extinguishment of right of carriageway would not substantially injure the dominant owner LAND LAW — Easements — Modification of easements — Statutory modification of easements — Whether width of right of carriageway should be narrowed TORTS — Nuisance — Private nuisance — Whether obstructions to the right of carriageway caused by the servient owner amounted to a nuisance — Whether grading of the right of carriageway by the dominant owner was excessive user so as to constitute a nuisance and/or trespass Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) ss 88BA, 89, sch 8 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 53 Roads Act 1993 (NSW) Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) Cases Cited: Aust-One Investment Pty Ltd v New World Investments Pty Ltd (2023) 111 NSWLR 39 Bland v Levi [2000] NSWSC 161 Bone v Seale [1975] 1 WLR 797 Burke v Frasers Lorne Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 988 Butler v Muddle (1995) 6 BPR 13,984 Cavacourt Pty Ltd v Durian (Holdings) Pty Ltd [1998] NSWSC 787 Clough v Breen (No 4) [2023] NSWSC 1155 Coffill v Lagudi Holdings Pty Ltd [2016] NSWSC 1764 Commonwealth v Murray (1988) Aust Torts Reports 80-207 Currumbin Investments Pty Ltd v Body Corp Mitchell Park Parkwood CTS [2012] 2 Qd R 511 Davidson v Elkington [2011] WASC 19 Durian (Holdings) Pty Ltd v Cavacourt Pty Ltd [2000] NSWCA 28 Elliott v Renner [1923] St R Qd 172 Fenwick v Wambo Coal (No 3) [2011] NSWSC 788 Frasers Lorne Pty Ltd v Burke [2008] NSWSC 743 Gray v Motor Accidents Commission (1998) 196 CLR 1 Hare v Van Brugge (2013) 84 NSWLR 41 Heaton v Loblay (1959) 60 SR (NSW) 332 Hunter v Canary Wharf Ltd [1997] AC 655 Laris v Lin (No 2) [2016] NSWSC 560 Lawrence v Griffiths (1987) 47 SASR 455 Lowe v Kladis [2018] NSWCA 130 Mantec Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd v Batur (2009) 25 VR 507 Marsh v Baxter (2015) 49 WAR 1 McDowall v Reynolds [2004] QCA 245 McWilliam v Hunter [2022] NSWSC 342 Middleton v Arthur [2002] NSWSC 627 Milner's Safe Co Ltd v Great Northern and City Rail Co [1907] 1 Ch 208 New South Wales v Williamson [2011] NSWCA 183 New South Wales v Zreika [2012] NSWCA 37 Newcomen v Coulson (1877) LR 5 Ch D 133 Nicholls v Ely Beet Sugar Factory Ltd [1936] Ch 343 Owners Corp of Strata Plan 42472 v Menala Pty Ltd (1998) 9 BPR 16,337 Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd v Westfield Management Ltd [2006] NSWCA 337 Pieper v Edwards [1982] 1 NSWLR 336 Powell v Langdon (1944) 45 SR (NSW) 136 Re Application by Wolfe (1997) 8 BPR 15,669 Re Callanan [1970] 2 NSWR 127 Re Chamberlain and Conveyancing Act (1969) 90 WN (Pt 1) (NSW) 585 Re Ghey & Galton's Application [1957] 2 QB 650 Re Henderson's Conveyance [1940] Ch 835 Re Mason and the Conveyancing Act [1962] NSWR 762 Re Parimax (SA) Pty Ltd (1954) 56 SR (NSW) 130 Sertari Pty Ltd v Nirimba Developments Pty Ltd [2007] NSWCA 324 Stolyar v Towers [2018] NSWCA 6 Tempe Recreation (D500215 and D1000502) Reserve Trust v Sydney Water Corp (2014) 88 NSWLR 449 Treweeke v 36 Wolseley Road Pty Ltd (1973) 128 CLR 274 Tujilo v Watts [2005] NSWSC 209 Uren v Bald Hills Wind Farm Pty Ltd [2022] VSC 145 Walsh v Erwin [1952] VLR 361 Webster v Bradac (1993) 5 BPR 12,032 Westfield Management Ltd v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd (2007) 233 CLR 528 White v Johnston (2015) 87 NSWLR 779 Zenere v Leate (1980) 1 BPR 9300 Texts Cited: Adrian Bradbrook and Susan MacCallum, Bradbrook and Neave's Easements and Restrictive Covenants (3rd ed, 2011, LexisNexis) David Rolph, Jason N E Varuhas, Penelope Crossley and Michael Douglas, Balkin & Davis: Law of Torts (6th ed, 2021, LexisNexis) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Joseph Roger FitzGerald (Plaintiff) Foxes Lane (NSW) Pty Ltd (First Defendant) Gerardus Johannes Jacobus Kurstjens (Second Defendant) Maria Mattheiu Elisabeth Kurstjens (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: J Hutton SC and P Springthorpe (Plaintiff) T Alexis SC and J Smith (Defendants)