The Glebe District Hockey Club Inc v New South Wales Harness Racing Club Limited [2001] NSWSC 401

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : The Glebe District Hockey Club Inc v New South Wales Harness Racing Club Limited [2001] NSWSC 401 revised - 17/05/2001 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 4599/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 08/05/01 JUDGMENT DATE : 8 May 2001

PARTIES : The Glebe District Hockey Club Inc (Plaintiff/Respondent ) New South Wales Harness Racing Club Limited (ACN 000 002 666) (Defendant/Appellant) JUDGMENT OF : Santow J

COUNSEL : L J W Aitken (Defendant/Appellant) R G McHugh (Plaintiff/Respondent) SOLICITORS : Clayton Utz (Defendant/Appellant) Deacons (Plaintiff/Respondent) CATCHWORDS : CONVEYANCING — CONTRACT — PROCEDURE — Agreement for lease — 23 year lease — Party not yet in occupation — Strike out application — Could not be said to be "clearly demonstrated" specific performance could not lie — Clause entitling lessor to force relocation where conditions satisfied not sufficient to convert lease to licence or necessarily preclude specific performance — Specific performance of licence where damages not adequate remedy may be possible. Chinese Cultural Club Limited v Oswelt Pty Ltd (No 2) (BC9201423, NSWSC Young J, 11 December 1992, unreported) Composite Buyers Ltd v Soong & Anor (1995) 38 NSWLR 286 Coulls v Bagot's Executor and Trustee Co Limited (1967) 119 CLR 460 CASES CITED : General Steel Industries Inc. v Commissioner of Railways (1964) 112 CLR 125 NSW Harness Racing v Glebe District Hockey Club & Ors (NSWSC (No. 1855/01), Simos J, 22 March 2001, unreported) Verrall v Great Yarmouth BC [1980] 1 All ER 839 Walsh v Lonsdale (1882) 21 Ch D 9 DECISION : The appeal fails.