Ashoil Pty Ltd v Fassoulas & Ors [2004] NSWSC 554

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Ashoil Pty Ltd v Fassoulas & Ors [2004] NSWSC 554 HEARING DATE(S) : 15/06/04 JUDGMENT DATE : 29 June 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Gzell J DECISION : Summons dismissed with costs.

CATCHWORDS : CONVEYANCING - Land Titles under the Torrens System - Easements - Right of way created from road frontage for access to rear of dominant tenement in 1920 - Lane created to rear of dominant tenement in 1935 - Paling fence across road frontage from early 1960s to early 1980s when pathway constructed over right of way with padlocked gates at either end closed after business hours of owner of servient tenement - Closing gates later abandoned - No parking on road frontage - Deliveries to servient tenement made from right of way - Customers of tenant of dominant tenement with other members of public used pathway to gain access to road frontage from public car park off rear lane - Owners of dominant tenement valued attraction to prospective tenants, access to light to windows and access for repairs of building on dominant tenement - Whether predecessors in title to defendant owners of dominant tenement had abandoned the easement and it ought to be extinguished under the Conveyancing Act 1919, s 89(1)(b) - Whether the easement should be deemed obsolete by reason of change in user of dominant tenement or in character of neighbourhood or whether it impeded reasonable user of servient tenement of plaintiff without practical benefit to owners of dominant tenement under s 89(1)(a) LEGISLATION CITED : Conveyancing Act 1919 Grill v Hockey (1991) 5 BPR 97,365 Long v Michie [2003] NSWSC 233 Gotobed v Pridmore (1970) 115 SJ 78 Williams v Usherwood (1981) 45 P & CR 235 Tehidy Minerals Ltd v Norman [1971] 2 QB 528 Guth v Robinson (1977) 1 BPR 97017 Proprietors Strata Plan No 9968 v Proprietors Strata Plan No 11173 [1979] 2 NSWLR 605 Treweeke v 36 Wolseley Road Pty Ltd (1972-1973) 128 CLR 274 McIntyre v Porter [1983] 2 VR 439 CASES CITED : Durian (Holdings) Pty Ltd v Cavacourt Pty Ltd (2000) 10 BPR 97,830 Lolakis v Konitsas [2002] NSWSC 889 Cavacourt Pty Ltd v Durian (Holdings) Pty Ltd (1998) 9 BPR 97,761 Re Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co Ltd's Application [1956] 1 QB 261 at 272 Re Mason and The Conveyancing Act (1960) 78 WN (NSW) 925 Williams v James (1867) LR 2 CP 577 Re Henderson's Conveyance [1940] 1 Ch 835 Re Alexandra [1980] VR 55 Heaton v Loblay (1960) 60 SR (NSW) 332 Re Ghey and Galton's Application [1957] 2 QB 650 Stannard v Issa [1987] 1 AC 175 Ashoil Holdings Pty Ltd - Plaintiff PARTIES : Athanasia Fassoulas - 1st Defendant Angela Fassoulas - 2nd Defendant Arthur Fassoulas - 3rd Defendant FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 2825/03 COUNSEL : Mr P Clay for the Plaintiff Mr J Whyte for the Defendants SOLICITORS : Denes Ebner Lawyers Andresakis & Associates Solicitors