Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd v Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning (No 2) [2011] NSWLEC 83

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd v Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning (No 2) [2011] NSWLEC 83 Hearing dates: 7-10 March 2011, 17 March 2011 (written submissions) Decision date: 20 May 2011 Jurisdiction: Class 4 Before: Biscoe J Decision: 1. Proceedings dismissed. 2. Applicant to pay respondents' costs. Catchwords: JUDICIAL REVIEW:- validity of decisions made at intermediate stages of a process for making a local environmental plan (LEP) under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 - whether Council failed to prepare an environmental study of the land (LES) as required by s 57(1) because the purported LES was not an objective, disinterested study of the land - whether Council failed to prepare a LES as required by s 57(1) because it was uncertain in its operation - whether Council failed to have regard to a LES as required by s 61 - whether Council failed to consult in the preparation of the LES and the draft LEP as required by s 62 - whether Council failed to comply with implied obligation to take account of submissions made in response to consultations under s 62 - whether Council failed to take into account mandatory relevant considerations - whether in submitting under s 64 draft LEP and LES to Director-General of Department of Planning the Council's General Manager acted in excess of delegated power - whether Council's decision to submit was infected by apprehended bias - whether power of Director-General to issue certificate under s 65 was enlivened - whether Director-General failed to take into account mandatory relevant consideration. Legislation Cited: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 ss 5, 24, 53-70, 79C Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment Act 2008 cll 12, 12A, 15 Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 cl 12A Local Government Act 1993 s 377(1) Queanbeyan Local Environmental Plan 1998 Cases Cited: Anderson v Director-General Department of Environment and Climate Change [2008] NSWCA 337, 163 LGERA 400 Anderson v Minister for Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources [2006] NSWLEC 725, 151 LGERA 229 Anderton v Auckland City Council [1978] 1 NZLR 657 Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesdbury Corporation [1948] 1 KB 223 Bell v Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning (1997) 95 LGERA 86 Burns Philp Trustee Co Ltd v Wollongong City Council (1983) 49 LGRA 420 Cann's Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1946) 71 CLR 210 Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd v Director-General of the Department of Planning [2010] NSWLEC 5, 171 LGERA 440 Charalambous v Ku-ring-gai Council [2007] NSWLEC 510, 155 LGERA 352 Courtney Hill Pty Ltd v Gawler Town Corporation (1988) 66 LGRA 1 Devon v New World Properties (NSW) Pty Ltd (Land and Environment Court of New South Wales, McClelland CJ, 27 July 1984, unreported) Ebner v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy [2000] HCA 63, 205 CLR 337 F & D Bonaccorso Pty Ltd v Canada Bay Council (No 2) [2007] NSWLEC 537, 158 LGERA 250 Gales Holdings Pty Ltd v Minister for Infrastructure and Planning [2005] NSWLEC 617 Gales Holdings Pty Ltd v Minister for Infrastructure and Planning [2006] NSWCA 388, 69 NSWLR 156 GPT Re Ltd v Belmorgan Property Development Pty Ltd [2008] NSWCA 256, 72 NSWLR 647 Gwandalan Summerland Point Action Group Inc v Minister for Planning [2009] NSWLEC 140, 75 NSWLR 269 Herald-Sun TV Pty Ltd v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal [1985] HCA 32, 156 CLR 1 Hot Holdings Pty Ltd v Creasy [2002] HCA 51, 210 CLR 438 Khan v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs [1987] FCA 457, 14 ALD 291 King Gee Clothing Co Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1945) 71 CLR 184 Laws v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal (1990) 170 CLR 70 Leichhardt Municipal Council v Minister for Planning (1992) 78 LGERA 306 McGovern v Ku-ring-gai Council [2008] NSWCA 209, 72 NSWLR 504 Mid Western Community Action Group Inc v Mid-Western Regional Council (No 2) [2008] NSWLEC 143 Minister for Aboriginal Affairs v Peko-Wallsend Ltd [1986] HCA 40, 162 CLR 24 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZJSS [2010] HCA 48, 85 ALJR 306 Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Wu Shan Liang [1996] HCA 6, 185 CLR 259 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Jia Legeng [2001] HCA 17, 205 CLR 507 Minister for Immigration v SZGUR [2011] HCA 1, 273 ALR 233 Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs v Gray (1994) 50 FCR 189 Minister for Planning v Walker [2008] NSWCA 224, 161 LGERA 423 Mison v Randwick Municipal Council (1991) 23 NSWLR 734 Murlan Consulting Pty Ltd v Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council [2009] NSWCA 300, 170 LGERA 162 Nikac v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (1988) 20 FCR 65 Oshlack v Richmond River Council [1998] HCA 11, 193 CLR 72 Prineas v Forestry Commission of New South Wales (1983) 49 LGRA 402 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority [1998] HCA 28, 194 CLR 355 R v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal; Ex parte Hardiman (1980) 144 CLR 13 Racecourse Co-operative Sugar Association Ltd v Attorney-General (Qld) [1979] HCA 50, 142 CLR 460 Swift v SAS Trustee Corporation [2010] NSWCA 182 Television Corporation Ltd v Commonwealth (1963) 109 CLR 59 Telstra Corporation Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (No 2) [2007] FCA 493, 240 ALR 135 Tickner v Chapman (1995) 57 FCR 451 Transport Action Group Against Motorways Inc v Roads and Traffic Authority [1999] NSWCA 196, 46 NSWLR 598 Vakauta v Kelly (1989) 167 CLR 568 Walsh v Parramatta City Council [2007] NSWLEC 255, 161 LGERA 118 Webb v R [1994] HCA 30, 181 CLR 41 Zhang v Canterbury City Council [2001] NSWCA 167, 51 NSWLR 589 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd (Applicant) Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning (First Respondent) Queanbeyan City Council (Second Respondent) The Village Building Company Pty Ltd (Third Respondent) Representation: Mr A Robertson SC with Ms M Allars (Applicant) Ms K Richardson (First Respondent) Mr J Kirk with Ms F Ramsay (Second Respondent) Mr J Robson SC with Mr C Ireland (Third Respondent) Mallesons Stephen Jacques (Applicant) Department of Planning (First Respondent) Williams Love and Nicol Lawyers (Second Respondent) Blake Dawson (Third Respondent) File Number(s): 40915/10