Stolyar v Towers [2018] NSWCA 6

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Stolyar v Towers [2018] NSWCA 6 Hearing dates: 12 December 2017 Decision date: 05 February 2018 Before: Gleeson JA at [1] Simpson JA at [85] White JA at [86] Decision: (1) To the extent necessary, grant leave to appeal. (2) Appeal dismissed. (3) Appellants to pay the respondents' costs. Catchwords: REAL PROPERTY – easements – validity of right of vehicle parking and garaging – whether use of easement area amounts to joint occupation of the easement area - degree of interference with area actually affected by easement or the whole of the servient land – whether right of vehicle parking and garaging substantially deprived servient owner of rights of proprietorship or possession of servient land – whether servient owner demonstrated that motor vehicles could not be turned around in the driveway without encroaching upon the easement area. Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), ss 88B, 89 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), ss 75A(10), 101(2)(r)(i) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 42.1, 51.52 Cases Cited: Batchelor v Marlow [2003] 1 WLR 764 Clos Farming Estates Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) v Easton [2001] NSWSC 525; (2001) 10 BPR 18,845 Clos Farming Estates Pty Ltd v Easton [2002] NSWCA 389; (2002) 11 BPR 20,605 Harada v Registrar of Titles [1981] VR 743 Lolakis v Konitsas [2002] NSWSC 889 London & Blenheim Estates Ltd v Ladbroke Retail Parks Ltd (1992) 1 WLR 1278 Mogensen v Portuland Developments Pty Ltd (1983) NSW ConvR 55-116 Moncrieff and Anor v Jamieson and Ors [2007] UKHL 42; 1 WLR 2620 Multiplex Bluewater Marina Village Pty Ltd v Harbour Tropics Pty Ltd [2017] QCA 202 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Ltd v Poldune (1996) 7 BPR 15,078 Ray v Fairway Motors (Barnstaple) Ltd (1968) 20 P&CR 261 Re Cook [1964] VR 808 Re Ellenborough Park [1956] Ch 131 Registrar-General of New South Wales v JEA Holdings (Aust) Pty Ltd (2015) 88 NSWLR 321; [2015] NSWCA 74 S.S. & M. Ceramics Pty Ltd v. Kin [1996] 2 Qd R 540 The Owners of East Fremantle Shopping Centre West Strata Plan 8618 v Action Supermarkets Pty Ltd [2008] WASCA 180 Towers v Stolyar [2017] NSWSC 526 Weigall v Toman (2006) 1 Qd R 192; [2006] QSC 349 Westfield Management Ltd v Perpetual Trustee Company Ltd (2007) 233 CLR 528; [2007] HCA 45 Wilcox v Richardson (1997) 43 NSWLR 4 Texts Cited: K Gray and SF Gray, Elements of Land Law (5th ed, 2009, Oxford UP) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Faina Stolyar (First Appellant / First Cross-Defendant) Ian Stolyar (Second Appellant / Second Cross-Defendant) Barrie Towers (First Respondent / First Cross-Claimant) Celia Towers (Second Respondent / Second Cross-Claimant) Representation: Counsel: CJ Leggat SC (Appellants) J Giles SC (Respondents)