A Sydney court has agreed to expedite a last-minute bid by a community group to stop the controversial demolition of Allianz stadium.

Local Democracy Matters has launched legal proceedings in the land and environment court claiming the New South Wales government botched the approval process ahead of demolition works which were to start this week.

However, Lendlease’s lawyer indicated on Wednesday that hard demolition, as part of the stadium’s $730m rebuild, was not due to start until late February.

Local Democracy Matters claims there had been a failure to exhibit the proposal for the required period, a failure to consider design excellence, and a failure to consider remediation of the site before consent was given.

In a letter sent to Infrastructure NSW’s chief executive, Jim Betts, on Monday, the group’s solicitor, James Ryan, said the urgent hearing was sought “given the imminent threat to carry out substantive demolition works”.

Justice Terry Sheahan agreed to expedite the case with a three-day hearing set down for 20 February.

Labor and the Greens oppose the project but the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said on Tuesday that she was not worried about the threat of legal action.