Evans v Roads and Maritime Services [2017] NSWLEC 1105

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Evans v Roads and Maritime Services [2017] NSWLEC 1105 Hearing dates: Conciliation Conference on 27 and 28 February 2017 Date of orders: 02 March 2017 Decision date: 02 March 2017 Jurisdiction: Class 3 Before: Maston AC Decision: See (4) below Catchwords: COMPULSORY ACQUISITION OF LAND: conciliation conference; agreement between the parties; orders Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Glenda Evans (Applicant) Roads and Maritime Services (Respondent) Representation: Anthony Perkins, Project Lawyers (Applicant) Brendan Bateman, Clayton Utz (Respondent) File Number(s): 2016/254873 Publication restriction: No

Judgment 1. COMMISSIONER: In this matter, at or after a conciliation conference, an agreement under s 34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (the Court Act) was reached between the parties as to the terms of a decision in the proceedings that was acceptable to the parties. As the presiding Commissioner, I was satisfied that the decision was one that the Court could have made in the proper exercise of its functions (this being the test applied by s 34(3) of the Court Act). As a consequence, s 34(3)(a) of the Act required me to "dispose of the proceedings in accordance with the decision". 2. The Court Act also required me to "set out in writing the terms of the decision" (s 34(3)(b)). The orders made to give effect to the agreement constitute that document. 3. In making the orders to give effect to the agreement between the parties, I was not required to make, and have not made, any merit assessment of the issues that were originally in dispute between the parties. 4. The final orders to give effect to the parties' agreement under s34(3) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 are: 1. Compensation is determined in the sum of $1,200,000.00 (incl GST), pursuant to section 55 of the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 (Act), for the acquisition of Lot 1 in Deposited Plan 81461, being all of the land known as 43 Campbell Road, St Peters. 2. The Applicant is to duly complete and deliver to the Respondent the deed of release and indemnity and direction as to payment issued by the Respondent within 28 days of the final orders in these proceedings. 3. Within 28 days of the Respondent receiving the duly completed deed of release and indemnity and direction as to payment the Respondent is to pay the compensation less any advanced moneys paid. 4. The Respondent has agreed to pay the Applicant's reasonable costs as agreed or assessed subject to the production of invoices and receipts. There is to be no interest payable on costs. Notations: Statutory interest pursuant to ss.49 and 50 of the Act is payable on the remainder of compensation. The Court notes that the agreed compensation amount includes legal costs under s59(1)(a) of the Just Terms Act in the amount of $14,575 (being $11,000 for costs associated with the tax invoice of James McConvill & Associates and $3,575 for costs associated with the tax invoice issued by Slater & Gordon). ……………. John Maston Acting Commissioner