High-profile lawyer Martin Bennett waiting on Cambridge council judgment over carport at Floreat home

High-profile lawyer Martin Bennett has been involved in some of WA’s biggest cases, in recent years as the defence for Lloyd Rayney and sharetrader Nigel Mansfield, an associate of John Kizon. He also represented politician Troy Buswell in his defamation case against Adele Carles, mining boss Chris Ellison and wife Tia in their case against their neighbours, and in the early days, he acted for Rose Hancock Porteous and Robert Holmes a Court. His front-row seat to WA’s history also saw him as executor of mining magnate Lang Hancock’s estate. But this month he is waiting on a judgment for a matter much closer to home — a council decision on whether he can build a carport at his Floreat home. Mr Bennett, a self-confessed car enthusiast, wants to build a double carport in front of his double garage, so that all three of his vehicles can be kept undercover. He says the last remaining bay is likely to be taken up by visitors, with two of his children — three are currently in lockdown in London, Edinburgh and Los Angeles — due to move back as soon as they can get a plane back to Perth. “At the moment they are not living with us but some are coming back to live at the house,” he told House That! He said he and wife Brigitte have six children between them, and sometimes host international house guests. “We occasionally end up getting packed to the rafters.” House That! is curious if the matter is set for a barney, with a Cambridge Council committee this week recommending the plans get rejected. It says the structure does not meet setback requirements, undermining the area’s established streetscape. But Mr Bennett said he did not know what streetscape the council was referring to because there was an almost identical carport two doors up from his home, and a stack of similar ones up the road. Mr Bennett has not said whether he would fight a decision, but it’s fair to say he’s no stranger to a courtroom. House That! is not sure if the council knows the applicant is a lawyer, though the committee has highlighted in its report to council that it would incur costs if the applicant took the matter to the the State Administrative Tribunal.