Newcastle City Council v Shortland Management Services & Ors [2003] NSWCA 156

Reported Decision : 57 NSWLR 173

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Newcastle City Council v Shortland Management Services & Ors [2003] NSWCA 156 HEARING DATE(S) : 11 March 2003 JUDGMENT DATE : 18 June 2003

JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Mason P at 103; Sheller JA at 104 DECISION : Appeal allowed [101]

CATCHWORDS : TORTS - Negligence - novel duty of care - interaction with statutory scheme - interaction with law of nuisance - whether statutory intention to exclude common law duty of care - whether recognition of duty would undermine legal coherence - TORTS - Negligence - where extension to adjoining property would block views - where statute required notification to adjoining proprietors if council formed opinion enjoyment of land may be detrimentally affected - whether duty of care in formation of opinion as to detrimental effect LEGISLATION CITED : Local Government Act 1919 s 312A Local Government Act 1993 ss 68, 89, 114, 115, 118 Anns v Merton London Borough Council [1978] AC 728 Attorney General v Doughty (1752) 2 Ves. Sen 453 Bathurst City Council v Saban (No 2) (1986) 58 LGRA 201 Buck v Bavone (1976) 135 CLR 110 Caledonian Collieries Limited v Speirs (1957) 97 CLR 202 Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 Craig v East Coast Bays City Council [1986] 1 NZLR 99 Crimmins v Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee (1999) 200 CLR 1 Dalton v Angus (1881) 6 App Cas 740 Graham Barclay Oysters Pty Ltd v Ryan (2002) 77 ALJR 183 Hamman v Lake Macquarie City Council [1999] NSWCA 82 Hornsby Shire Council v Porter (1990) 19 NSWLR 717 Hunter v Canary Wharf Limited [1997] AC 655 Idonz Pty Ltd v National Capital Development Commission (1986) 13 FCR 70 Invercargill City Council v Hamlin [1996] AC 624 Malec v J C Hutton (1991) 169 CLR 638 Meates v Attorney General [1983] NZLR 308 Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre Pty Ltd v Anzil (2000) 205 CLR 254 CASES CITED : Mount Albert Borough Council v Johnson [1979] 2 NZLR 234 Murphy v Brentwood District Council [1991] 1 AC 398 Parkes and Spencer v Rastogi and Newcastle City Council (1992) 78 LGERA 71 Perre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180 Phipps v Pears [1965] 1 QB 76 Pyrenees Shire Council v Day (1998) 192 CLR 330 Revesz v The Commonwealth (1951) 51 SR (NSW) 63 Reynolds v Katoomba RSL All Services Club Ltd (2001) 53 NSWLR 43 Rapid Transport Pty Ltd v Sutherland Shire Council (1987) 62 LGRA 88 Scott Group v McFarlane [1978] 1 NZLR 553 Sellars v Adelaide Petroleum NL (1994) 179 CLR 332 South Pacific Manufacturing Co Limited v NZ Security Consultants Limited [1992] 2 NZLR 282 St Pierre v Ontario [1987] 1 SCR 906 State of New South Wales v Paige (2002) 115 IR 283 Sullivan v Moody (2001) 207 CLR 562 Sutherland Shire Council v Heyman (1985) 157 CLR 424 Tame v New South Wales (2002) 76 ALJR 1348 Victoria Park Racing and Recreation Grounds Co Ltd v Taylor (1937) 58 CLR 479 William Aldred's Case (1610) 9 Co Rep 57b Newcastle City Council PARTIES : Shortland Management Services Kym Gillen Butler Buttalla Pty Ltd FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40930/01 COUNSEL : Mr S Campbell SC / Mr T Bland (Appellant) Mr I D Cullen (Respondents) SOLICITORS : Hunt & Hunt Lawyers (Appellant) Robert Foggo Lawyers (Respondents)