El Cheikh v Hurstville City Council & 2 Ors [2002] NSWCA 173

Reported Decision : (2002) 121 LGERA 293

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : El Cheikh v Hurstville City Council & 2 Ors [2002] NSWCA 173 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40661/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 07/06/02 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 June 2002

Sam El Cheikh (Appellant) v PARTIES : Hurstville City Council (Respondent 1) Minister for Planning (Respondent 2) Director General of the Department of Planning (Respondent 3) JUDGMENT OF : Sheller JA at 1; Davies AJA at 5; Ipp AJA at 6

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Land & Environment Court LOWER COURT LEC 40201/00 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Lloyd J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

B J Preston SC/ J M Jagot (Appellant) COUNSEL : P Rigg (Respondent 1) - submitting appearance (Respondents 2 & 3) Pike Pike & Fenwick (Appellant) SOLICITORS : Deacons (Respondent 1) Legal Services Branch, Dept of Planning (Respondents 2 & 3) CATCHWORDS : Environmental planning instruments - whether public notice of draft local environmental plan misleading - failure of the notice to state purpose of the plan regarding height restriction - when notices are given of two separate plans - whether second plan which is silent on the restrictions should be considered in the context of first which is not - validity of public notice - Statutes - statutory interpretation - whether instrument made in excess of power - whether invalid provisions in the plan could be servered and the remainder be declared valid - principles. Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 s66, Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW s 32. D LEGISLATION CITED : Environmental Planing and Assessment Act 1979 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) Leichhardt Municipal Council v Minister for Planning [No 2] (1995) 87 LGERA 78 J B Lenton & Co Pty Limited v Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning (1999) 106 LGERA 150 Litevale Pty Limited v Lismore City Council (1997) 96 LGERA 91 Scurr v Brisbane City Council (1973) 133 CLR 242 Darling Casino Ltd v Minister for Planning and Sydney Harbour Casino Pty Ltd (1995) 86 LGERA 186 CASES CITED: Olsen v City of Camberwell [1926] V.L.R. 58 Dunkley v Evans [1981] 1 WLR 1522 Thames Water Authority v Elmbridge Borough Council [1983] QB 570 Director of Public Prosecutions v Hutchinson [1990] 2 AC 783 Sloane v McDonald Industries (Sales) Pty Ltd (1989) 17 NSWLR 86 Harrington v Lowe (1996) 190 CLR 311 DECISION : (1) Appeal upheld (2) The orders of Lloyd J of 7 August 2001 are set aside (3) It be declared that Hurstville Local Environmental Plan 1994 (Amendment No 23) is invalid and has no effect (4) The Council pay the appellant's costs of the appeal and of the proceedings in the Court below.