A variation to the old adage 'you can't please all the people any of the time' could well be the Wingecarribee Shire Council motto. Public response to the latest legal fees incurred by council drives home this message.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council released its latest legal and consultancy fee tally at the July 24 ordinary general meeting.
The tally (including the costs of some cases held over several years) was $1,861,950 with almost $1.2million of those expenses attributed specifically to cases raised in the last financial year.
Blind Freddy could see that these figures would raise the ire of many in the community. But is this community anger misguided?
These expenses were incurred by council largely defending itself in the Land and Environment Court, and associated consultancy costs.
At that point all council can do is put their case forward and hope it is upheld.
Councillor Larry Whipper pointed out during the July 24 meeting, that the council often took on cases with the interests of the majority of the community in mind.
He later told the Southern Highland News that it was not all about winning and losing. "It's about representing the community's views and fighting for those views".
When it comes to the Land and Environment Court there is rarely a winner or loser but the aim is to ultimately reach an outcome that is more acceptable to both the community and the developer. Respective costs of reaching a suitable resolution are met by each party.
The highest expenditure was $270,230 for a proposed Woolworths on the corner of Argyle Street and Lackey Road, Moss Vale.
The development application for the complex was refused by council in late 2016 based on traffic and flooding issues, in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
It was a decision that left the developers with the option to refer the matter to the NSW Land and Environment Court - and they did just that. Council was left with no choice but to defend its decision and that costs money.
The same situation applies for any other development that council may decline. Often a council knock back of a DA attracts significant community support, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt the hip pocket in a court appeal.
RELATED: Council legal costs
