Planning disputes

Every planning and environment court and tribunal decision we track, matched to a council, in one table. Filter by state, posture or who won, search any party, court or keyword, sort any column, and click through to the council or the full public judgment.

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6,355 decisions on record across 372 councils. Showing the most recent 6,000. Outcome, development type and who won are read from each judgment by an LLM (5,357 analysed so far). Use the enriched view or the won-by filter to see only those; the rest are marked pending and fill in as analysis runs.

Court and tribunal judgments are checked daily. See coverage and live source health.

Showing 1–15 of 15

National planning disputes
Catchwords
Willoughby City Council v Rahmani [2017] NSWLEC 166NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECOtherSubdivisionCouncil6 Dec 2017SENTENCE - prosecution for removal of trees contrary to requirement of development consent - early plea of guilty - trees were three mature specimens with long Safe Useful Life Expectancies - trees were part of a critically endangered ecological community - removal negligent but not reckless - consideration of Defendant’s subjective circumstances including agreement to order requiring planting of two replacement trees - appropriate starting penalty $90,000 - consideration of Defendant’s capacity
Willoughby City Council v Screnci [2015] NSWLEC 192NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECDismissedSingle dwellingApplicant10 Dec 2015CRIMINAL LAW – plea of guilty entered – sentence hearing held – application to withdraw guilty plea and enter plea in bar – offences against s 125(1) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act – defendant caused development to be carried out without consent – prosecution must establish proceedings were commenced within limitation period – s 127(5) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act – evidence does not establish the proceedings were commenced in time – statutory bar upon comme
Cavric v Willoughby City Council [2015] NSWCA 182NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWCA———3 July 2015HIGHWAYS – car park used to pass from one street to another – whether car park a “public road” – whether owner council a “roads authority” – legislative history in relation to opening public roads in NSW area not a road under the common law – whether user sufficient basis to establish existence of public road under statute – whether the Roads Act 1993 (NSW), s 249 a separate test of what is a public road or evidentiary provision only – effect of the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), 178 – Stojan (No
Willoughby City Council v Wu [2014] NSWLEC 165NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLEC———20 Oct 2014CIVIL ENFORCEMENT - failure to comply with a statutory brothel closure order issued by a council - carrying out unauthorised development at the subject premises - whether declarations should be made in addition to injunctions - principles relating to declaratory relief.
Willoughby City Council v Chen [2014] NSWLEC 92NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldLicensed premisesCouncil3 July 2014CIVIL ENFORCEMENT: Brothel and sex uses at premises without consent - use and advertising prohibited - Council's closure order disobeyed - use alleged to have ceased.
Willoughby Council v Vlahos [2013] NSWLEC 71NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldSingle dwellingCouncil16 May 2013PROSECUTION - breach of s 125 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 - plea of guilty - removal of a tree required to be retained by conditions of a development consent - environmental harm - refusal of order under s 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999
Willoughby City Council v Finlay (No.2) [2010] NSWLEC 233NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldOtherCouncil12 Nov 2010PROSECUTION :- development without consent, heritage significance, project designer charged as well as builder, plea of guilty, sentencing options, conviction, costs
Willoughby City Council v Finlay [2010] NSWLEC 184NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECOtherOtherApplicant24 Sept 2010BIAS :- application at sentencing hearing that judge disqualify himself on ground of apprehended bias - findings of fact and credibility made by judge in earlier companion case favourable to the principal of defendant in that case to be called as prosecution witness in present case and to be contested by defendant in present case - application granted - desirability of giving notice of recusal application as soon as possible so that, if successful, the case may be heard forthwith by another judg
Willoughby City Council v BCPD Pty Limited [2010] NSWLEC 163NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldOtherCouncil31 Aug 2010ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENCES :- sentencing of builder for demolition without development consent.
SKULANDER v WILLOUGHBY CITY COUNCIL [2007] NSWCA 116NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWCA———18 May 2007TORTS – Negligence – essentials of action for negligence – duty of care – occupier’s liability – passenger at bus interchange collides with object protruding from wall - TORTS – Negligence – essentials of action for negligence – breach of duty of care – risk of collision – careless or inadvertent plaintiff – means and options of alleviating risk – placing obstacle around hazard – making object more visible – whether reasonable to do so - TORTS – negligence – contributory negligence – failure to
Randall Pty Limited v Willoughby City Council [2005] NSWLEC 51NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECDismissedOtherCouncil17 Feb 2005Appeal :- question of utility where application refused by Commissioner on ground of merit. Whether Commissioner applied correct test of fact and degree for ancillary development. Development consent :- test for finality. Development :- whether development ancillary to other development.
Randall Pty Limited v Willoughby City Council [2004] NSWLEC 295NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECDismissedMixed useCouncil11 June 2004Development Application :- proper basis for consideration of economic impacts of the locality - test for characterisation of development Appeal :- Commissioner's duty to give reasons - approach of "fine tooth comb" rejected
Willoughby City Council v Revelas [2004] NSWLEC 747NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldOtherCouncil3 June 2004Environmental Offences :- lopping tree without consent under Tree Preservation Order-Sentence-offence of low gravity-mitigating circumstances-modest penalty imposed
Willoughby City Council v Revelas [2004] NSWLEC 138NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLECUpheldOtherCouncil8 Apr 2004Environmental Offences :- carrying out development without development consent-plea of guilty-mitigating circumstances-application for discharge.
Willoughby City Council v Revelas [2004] NSWLEC 147NSWWilloughby City CouncilNSWLEC———8 Apr 2004Environmental Offences :- injuring tree without consent under TPO-honest and reasonable mistake

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