Questão jurídica principal
Whether external legal advice costs can be passed on to the applicants as first-instance procedural costs in a building-permit matter.
Decisão extraída
External legal advice costs may not be charged to the applicants in first-instance proceedings; the fee item for external assessment is not recoverable on this basis.
Fundamentação extraída
Dr. H. was mandated as the municipality's lawyer and represented the municipality's interests. The file contained no indication that he was appointed as an expert or assessor. A lawyer acting for the authority is not treated as a court expert, so the costs cannot be shifted to the applicants as expert or report costs.