An independent Wollongong councillor’s efforts to get legal advice on a complaint lodged in the Supreme Court, which revisits aspects of the city’s infamous ‘‘Table of Knowledge’’ scandal, failed at this week’s council meeting.
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Cr Vicki Curran attempted to raise a ‘‘matter of great urgency’’ on Tuesday night, to ask the council to undertake an independent legal review of the complaint made by Wollongong solicitor Amir Harb.
Mr Harb lodged his complaint with the Supreme Court late last month and is due to appear in court in Sydney on June 16.
In the complaint against the Office of Local Government, with the council listed as a second defendant, Mr Harb contends his claims about the assessment of a development application lodged 13 years ago were never properly investigated by either government body.
He told Fairfax Media that his development application for mixed-use office space on western Crown Street was treated unfairly and penalised by the council because he was not one of the ‘‘inner circle’’ of developers getting favourable treatment from council officials.
Cr Curran asked Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery to allow an urgent motion to get independent advice, but her request was denied.
She said she did not want to weigh in to Mr Harb’s claim, but was trying to make sure councillors had all the necessary information regarding the court case.
‘‘Getting this advice would show that the council was following the right process,’’ Cr Curran said.
‘‘We’re the ones being questioned about being accountable ... If the council is going to court next week and allegations are being put against councillors’ governance, then how this matter isn’t seen as urgent is beyond belief.’’
Cr Bradbery told the Mercury he had ruled against Cr Curran as Mr Harb’s dispute with the council was ‘‘nothing new’’ and ‘‘going on for well over over a decade’’.
‘‘It has a history and wasn’t urgent.’’
Mr Harb took the council to the Land and Environment Court in 2005, after the council repeatedly denied his 2002 application for a six-storey development to be allowed in place of his Legal Business Centre office at 385A Crown Street.
His appeal against the council’s refusal was eventually upheld in the court, which approved amended plans for a five-level building in June 2006.
Since this decision, the development has been revised a number of times, with the latest plans approved by the council in May 2008.
Work on this development has not started and Mr Harb’s Legal Business Centre Pty Limited has been in court with the council numerous times.
