HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL & ANOR v SAMMUT [2002] NSWCA 18

Reported Decision : (2002) 119 LGERA 171

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL & ANOR v SAMMUT [2002] NSWCA 18 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 41061/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 7 November 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 19 February 2002

PARTIES : HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL & ANOR v Daniel SAMMUT JUDGMENT OF : Mason P at 1; Powell JA at 65; Young CJ in Eq at 66

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Land & Environment Court LOWER COURT L & E 40202/99 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Cowdroy J (25/9/2000); Talbot J (30/11/2000) JUDICIAL OFFICER :

1st Appellant: M Tobias QC/ S Duggan COUNSEL : 2nd Appellant: M Craig QC/ J Robson Respondent: G Downes QC/ P Tomasetti SOLICITORS : 1st Appellant: Abbott Tout Respondent: Storey & Gough CATCHWORDS : Environmental law - development consent - permission granted for "rural industry" - ultra vires consent - Council had no power to consent to a development which was an "industry" - State Environment Planing Policy Amendment clarifying definition of "industry" to exclude "rural industry" was not effective to breathe retrospective life into a void consent - declaratory enactment - use authorised by the Consent prohibited - Council not estopped from challenging validity of its Consent. (D) Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 LEGISLATION CITED : Environmental Planning and Assessment Model Provisions 1980 Factories Shops and Industries Act 1962 State Environment Planning Policy No 30 - Intensive Agriculture (Amendment No 4) Brickworks Ltd v Warringah Shire Council (1963) 108 CLR 568 Coleman v Shell Co of Australia Ltd (1943) 45 SR(NSW) 27 Commonwealth v Orr (1981) 37 ALR 653 Forbes v New South Wales Trotting Club (1979) 143 CLR 242 Egan v Hawkesbury City Council (1993) 79 LGERA 321 Elf Farm Supplies Pty Ltd v Hawkesbury City Council & Anor [1999] NSWLEC 261 Hawkesbury City Council v Sammut (2000) 111 LGERA 208 CASES CITED: Hawkesbury City Council v Sammut [2000] NSWLEC 270 Hoffmann-La Roche & Co Ltd v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry [1975] AC 295 Holidays-A-Float Pty Ltd v Hornsby Shire Council (1992) 75 LGRA 127 Maxwell v Murphy (1957) 96 CLR 261 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Bhardwaj (2000) 99 FCR 251 Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs v Kurtovic (1990) 21 FCR 193 Rokobatini v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1999) 90 FCR 583 Worrall v Commercial Banking Co of Sydney Ltd (1917) 24 CLR 28 DECISION : See par 64.