Ong v Murray [2025] NSWLEC 1023

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Ong v Murray [2025] NSWLEC 1023 Hearing dates: 5 September 2024 Date of orders: 21 January 2025 Decision date: 21 January 2025 Jurisdiction: Class 2 Before: Douglas AC Decision: The Court orders: (1) The application is refused. Catchwords: TREES (DISPUTES BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS): high hedges – claimed severe obstruction of sunlight – respondents' privacy important – undesirability of interfering with the trees outweighs the applicant's interest in having the obstruction removed or remedied Legislation Cited: Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006, Pt 2A, ss 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 14E, 14F Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Regulation 2019, s 4 Cases Cited: Awad v Hardie (No.3) [2012] NSWLEC 1067 Barker v Kyriakides [2007] NSWLEC 292 Barstow v Ainsworth [2023] NSWLEC 1442 Britten v Smith [2024] NSWLEC 1458 Devile v Frith [2011] NSWLEC 1250 Grantham Holdings Pty Ltd v Miller [2011] NSWLEC 1122 McCallum v Riordan [2011] NSWLEC 1009 McDougall v Philip [2011] NSWLEC 1280 Ong v Randwick City Council [2023] NSWLEC 1669 Robson v Leischke (2008) 72 NSWLR 98; [2008] NSWLEC 152 Wisdom v Payn [2011] NSWLEC 1012 Texts Cited: NSW Department of Justice and Attorney General, Review of the Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006, November 2009 Randwick Development Control Plan 2013 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Peter Ong (Applicant) Stuart Murray (First Respondent) Louise Formosa (Second Respondent) Representation: Counsel: N Sloan (Solicitor) (Applicant) S Murray (Self-Represented) (First Respondent) L Formosa (Self-represented) (Second Respondent)