FENSOM & ANOR v. COOTAMUNDRA RACECOURSE RESERVE TRUST & ORS [2000] NSWSC 1072

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : FENSOM & ANOR v. COOTAMUNDRA RACECOURSE RESERVE TRUST & ORS [2000] NSWSC 1072 CURRENT JURISDICTION: EQUITY FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 2869/95 HEARING DATE(S) : 23-26/10/00 JUDGMENT DATE : 24 November 2000

Albert Charles Fensom - First Plaintiff PARTIES : Cheryl Fensom - Second Plaintiff Cootamundra Racecourse Trust - First Defendant Simon Bragg - Second Defendant; Michael Twomey - Third Defendant; Graham Last - Fourth Defendant; John Scott - Fifth Defendant; Steven Tolmie - Sixth Defendant; Phillip Bassingthwaighte - Seventh Defendant - Donald Phillips - Eighth Defendant; Cootamundra Racecourse (D.620014) Reserve Trust - Ninth Defendant JUDGMENT OF : Bryson J at 1

COUNSEL : C. Hogg - Plaintiffs M. Leeming - First to Seventh and Ninth Defendants SOLICITORS : J. Pappas - Plaintiffs Crown Solicitor - First to Seventh and Ninth Defendants CATCHWORDS : RESTITUTION - improvements to trust property in absence of formal lease, agreement or contract - improvements and work on property encouraged or accepted by trustees - value of improvements awarded - CROWN LANDS - reserve trust - occupation and improvement of Crown land without lease or legal title - continuing negotiations for formal lease - informal arrangement of caretaking of racecourse trust property - no capacity for trustees to enter agreement of nature proposed - plaintiff claimed offer of 40 year lease with 40 year option - conflicting evidence as to terms of negotiations - no compliance with legislative requirements for consent to lease of Crown land Conveyancing Act 1919 ss 23C, 23D, 54A Crown Lands Consolidation Act 1913 (NSW) ss 6, 26, Pts III, IIIB Crown Lands Act 1989 (NSW) ss 6, 100, 101, 102, LEGISLATION CITED : 122, Sch 8 Pt 1 Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW) ss 68, 72 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) ss 82, 87 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s.63 Angelopoulos v Sabatino (1995) 65 SASR 1 Austotel Pty Ltd v Franklins Self-Serve Pty Ltd (1989) 14 NSWLR 582 Brewer Street Investments Ltd v Barclays Woollen Co [1954] 1 QB 428 Cadorange Pty Ltd (in liq) v Tanga Holdings Pty Ltd (1990) 20 NSWLR 26 Clancy v Salienta [2000] NSWCA 248 Craven-Ellis v Canons Ltd [1936] 2 KB 403 Falcke v Scottish Imperial Insurance Co (1866) 34 Ch D 243 CASES CITED : Fibrosa Spolka Akcynja v Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour Ltd [1943] AC 32 Pavey & Matthews v Paul (1986) 162 CLR 221 Ramsden v Dyson (1866) LR 1 HL 129 Rover International Pty Ltd v Cannon Film Sales [1989] 1 WLR 192 Sabemo Pty Ltd v North Sydney Municipal Council [1977] 2 NSWLR 880 Sunstar Fruit Pty Ltd v Cosmo [1995] 2 Qd R 214 Van den Berg v Giles [1979] 2 NZLR 111 William Lacey (Hounslow) Ltd v Davis [1957] 1 WLR 932 DECISION : see para 104