Confident Concept (PTY) Limited v Member of the Mayoral Committee :Development Planning -City of Johannesburg and Others (617/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 986 (13 December 2022)

Confident Concept (PTY) Limited v Member of the Mayoral Committee :Development Planning -City of Johannesburg and Others (617/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 986 (13 December 2022)

The MMC's decision to uphold the appeal against the rezoning approval was fundamentally flawed. It was based on incorrect assumptions regarding coverage requirements, failed to consider relevant expert reports, and ignored the lawful approval of the original building plans. The MMC took into account irrelevant...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2022] ZAGPJHC 986
Parties
Applicant: Confident Concept (PTY) Limited; Respondent: Member of the Mayoral Committee: Development Planning – City of Johannesburg; Respondent: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality; Respondent: Lewison, Martin; Respondent: Lewison, Sylvia; Respondent: The Saxonwold & Parkwood Residents’ Association
Court
South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
Jurisdiction
South Africa
Case Number
617/2018
Procedural Posture
Review Application / Judicial Review of Administrative Appeal Decision
Outcome
The appeal against the granting of the applicant’s rezoning application is dismissed. The approval of the rezoning by the Municipal Planning Tribunal is confirmed. The first and second respondents are ordered to pay the applicant’s costs, including costs for two counsel where employed.
Judges
L R Adams
Legal Topics
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, Judicial Review of Administrative Action, Rezoning Application, Municipal Planning Tribunal, Coverage Requirements, Bias and Irregularity
Administrative Law Land and Property Promotion of Administrative Justice Act Judicial Review of Administrative Action Rezoning Application Municipal Planning Tribunal Coverage Requirements Bias and Irregularity

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Parties

Confident Concept (PTY) Limited

Applicant

Member of the Mayoral Committee: Development Planning – City of Johannesburg

Respondent

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Respondent

Lewison, Martin

Respondent

Lewison, Sylvia

Respondent

The Saxonwold & Parkwood Residents’ Association

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Review Application / Judicial Review of Administrative Appeal Decision

  1. 1 Whether the City of Johannesburg, through its MMC, lawfully and validly upheld the appeals against the rezoning approval.
  2. 2 Whether the MMC's directions regarding amended building plans were validly issued.
  3. 3 Whether the impugned decision stands to be reviewed and set aside under PAJA grounds, including failure to consider relevant factors, irrationality, arbitrariness, and bias.

Ratio Decidendi

The MMC's decision to uphold the appeal against the rezoning approval was fundamentally flawed. It was based on incorrect assumptions regarding coverage requirements, failed to consider relevant expert reports, and ignored the lawful approval of the original building plans. The MMC took into account irrelevant factors, such as the relative size of the property, and did not establish a rational connection between the information before him and the decision made. The MMC also acted beyond the scope of the appeal by issuing directions regarding building plans, which were not the subject of the appeal and had not been set aside. The Mayor's intervention further demonstrated bias and lack of...

Court Disposition

The appeal against the granting of the applicant’s rezoning application is dismissed. The approval of the rezoning by the Municipal Planning Tribunal is confirmed. The first and second respondents are ordered to pay the applicant’s costs, including costs for two counsel where employed.

Orders

  • The decision of the first respondent dated 22 August 2017 is reviewed and set aside in its entirety.
  • The appeal by the third, fourth and fifth respondents against the granting of the applicant’s rezoning application and the approval of same is dismissed.