The Land and Environment Court has halted the "hard demolition" of the Sydney Football Stadium while they prepare a judgement on a legal challenge on its reconstruction.
Justice Nicola Pain issued an 11th-hour injunction on Friday, which prevented the developer Lendlease from carrying out "hard demolition" works as part of the government $730 million plan to knockdown and rebuild the stadium.
The ruling means the roof and walls of the stadium can't be removed until March 8, only two weeks before the NSW state election.
The community group Local Democracy Matters and Waverley Council launched the legal challenge, claiming the planning process was flawed.
Their lawyers said the NSW Government did not adhere to its own rules around public consultation and design excellence requirements.
Thousands of seats have already been ripped out of the stadium.
Speaking in court on Monday, Local Democracy Matters' barrister Tim Robertson SC said the matter was urgent because the process was "moving from so-called soft demolition to hard demolition".
"It's the initiating step to destroying the stadium," he said.
"This is not the demolition of a toilet block — this is a demolition of exceptional value."
Philip Clay SC, representing Waverley Council, told the court there was significant public interest in the case.
Lawyer for Infrastructure NSW, Sandra Duggan SC, warned delays in the hard demolition would cost her client $46,000 a day and threatened the completion date of June 30, 2020.
She told the court the works planned for the next fortnight included the removal of the stadium roof, expansion joints and access stairs.
"There's no evidence that work is irreversible," Ms Duggan said, prompting laughter from the public gallery.
"The stadium and roof would remain intact, albeit the roof will be relocated."
The decision to demolish the stadium followed a NSW Government claim in 2017 the state's sporting infrastructure fell behind the rest of the country.
