Agricultural Workers Dwelling Justification

Approval In Prinsiple For Agricultural Worker'S Dwelling, Part Field

434152, BALLAVELL, GRENABY ROAD, MALEW

Ballavell is a substantial dairy farm covering 240 acres, 70 acres of which are for arable. Farmland is located west of the Ballamodha Straight but on either side of the public Grenaby Road. In total there are 240 head of stock at any one time 90 of them being milking cows, most of the rest beef cattle. The farm is owned by Mr Colin Duggan and his mother Mrs D.A. Duggan.

The farm comprises Ballavell farmhouse and farm buildings, "Croit E. Quiggin" and "Elmbank" which were given consent as agricultural or retired agricultural workers' dwellings in the early 1980s when the farm was much smaller.

There are no disused older farm buildings suitable for conversion. Only the building housing the milking parlour is a stone building and is fully utilised. All other farm buildings are of a relatively "modern" style.

Ballavell owns the concrete access road from the public farm. Two other properties have access rights over it.

04 JUL 2011

Overall Changes

In 1967 when Ballavell was acquired by the late Mr Duggan senior it was 124 acres. From 1968 onwards it required the full time labour of both Mr Duggan senior and his son Mr Colin Duggan the current applicant. Mr Colin Duggan who had only just left school at that time continued to reside in the farmhouse.

By 1980 it had increased in size to 170 acres with 70 milking cows and followers, 60 acres arable and 4 acres potatoes. It was also recognised by then that Mr Colin Duggan was entitled to and needed a farm dwelling of his own and that a third dwelling was needed for his sister and family who also worked on the farm. Both were given consent.

By mid 1980s all three dwellings were built and used for active agricultural workers ie a minimum of three who were recognised as being essential to the farms needs and needing to live on the farm.

As above the farm has grown significantly since then to 240 acres with 90 milking cows and upto 240 head of stock with a corresponding increase in workload but has had a net decrease in housing available for essential agricultural workers.

Albeit one dwelling has become used for a retired worker, while younger third generation workers were of an age that two generations of workers could again share a dwelling there has not been the need to redress the balance to have dwellings for each for three essential farm workers. This is no longer the case. A further dwelling is needed on the farm. It is not appropriate to consider that the dwelling currently housing a retired farm worker should simply be used. On a family farm of this size and of a minimum of three generations there will be a three year old adult. This is a three year old adult as three required for active farm work.

STREET OF INTERASTRUCTURE

Town and County: 2011 11 12 1999

Decision

ADDRESS

workers.

The application is therefore sought to remedy the Inspector's conclusions on PA 06/1877 and take into account the changes that had occurred since 1980 and evolving needs since the 2006 application was submitted. A dwelling is now essentially required for Mr William Duggan so that he may properly fulfil his farming and managerial role while being permitted to develop his own family life.

Details of the farm are as follows:

Farming Activities

At any one time the farm has around 90 milking cows and additional followers. Milking is carried out twice a day, 365 days a year. There are two milking lines of 8 each so 11 batches of cows have to be fed through into the dairy. Milking requires 2 people, one principally in the dairy seeing to the actually milking, the other in the yard moving the batches of cattle onto the milking lines and clearing up afterwards. The whole process including bringing in the cows from the fields takes 3 hours, twice a day, the first 'milking' starts at 7am, the second at 5pm. Without a third person employed on the farm no one would be able to have a day off, let alone a holiday.

Several other activities on the farm require a minimum of two workers but can frequently require three workers and may involve working all hours of the day, evening and night.

• Cows including calves are extremely valuable to a farm's income. During calving, a regular watch day and night has to be kept on them when calves are due as animals are too valuable to risk anything going wrong. Calving most frequently occurs over night. It is essential that all hands should be within walking distance of the farm to work at short notice and should not be unable to get to the farm for instance if they had no transport or had a sociable evening out and were unable to drive. So that at any one time at least 90% of their animals are available for milk production calving is staggered over a 6 month winter period so that all animals may be put out to grass in the late spring. Animal welfare is compromised if sufficient labour is not to hand on site.

• Silaging of grass involves one person cutting grass, another driving the silage wagon and a third driving a tractor to manoeuvre the tipped cut grass into a silage clamp and compressing it. Silaging is carried out over several days in May, July and September.

• Harvesting requires two people who are competent operatives of the machinery (the farm has two combines) to cut the crop - essentially barley, another worker to drive the tractor with harvesting wagon to take the grain to the grain store and another can be involved in sorting out the grain store and/or collecting the grain stalks to be baled and wrapped in plastic wrapping. Harvesting is usually done in August.

• Hay making involves continual turning of the cut crop of hay followed by one person driving a baler by one person and another lifting the bales onto a trailer and another moving the bales to a barn and stacking them.

Silaging, harvesting and hay making are good weather dependent; once it is dry enough to "go" everyone has to be available and work carries on all hours of the day and night.

In the 2010 Royal Manx Show the Duggans won two prizes one for "The best crop of Spring barley"; the other for "The best overall grain crop". Needless to say Mr Colin Duggan wishes to be able to maintain that standard; this may only be achieved by having all three workers available at crucial times on the farm.

• Moving all 240 cattle around the fields in turn during the summer months and bringing them into the yard for the above vaccination and worming three times a year; particularly for the 130 beef cattle this involves running them miles along public roads.

• Feeding and dragging out muck from the beef cattle; this has to be done daily over 5 months of the year.

Labour and Housing

The former DAFF have confirmed that the hours worked on the farm justify three full-time equivalent workers living and working on the farm. So that they can have breaks / days off two of the three workers have to be competent to manage the farm so that one is on the farm at all times. Currently Mr Colin Duggan and Mr William Duggan, his son, fulfil this role and are fully dependent on the farm and its income to provide a livelihood for themselves. They both live in Ballavell farmhouse.

For farmers such as the Duggans who are working together almost fulltime during the day it is even more essential that when both workers are of an age to be separate home owners they should have the ability to live in separate dwellings. William Duggan is fulltime on the farm and has his own partner. At present however he has to continue to live in the farmhouse as there is no other option for him as it is essential he resides on the farm itself. The application is for a modest 2-bedroom dwelling that may in the first instance be lived in by him and his partner. As with Croft E. Quiggin (below) it may in later years be subsequently rotated around different farm workers as needs with regard to family circumstances vary. It is fully accepted that an approval would carry an agricultural tie.

As supported by "DAFF" the hours worked justify a third full-time worker. However DAFF figures do not take into account actual income earned by the farm. For all their hard work and long hours the farm income is not enough to provide a full-time income for the third worker albeit the hours worked are and the nature of the work is such that he has to live on the farm. Hence Mr Collin Duggan's relations; currently Mr Steven Ennett his nephew but originally Mr Keith Ennett his brother-in-law, along with his sister, Mrs Ennett, have provided the essential paid third and sometimes fourth person labour through living in a farm dwelling while also earning income from other employment. This was known when permission was given for their bungalow "Elmbank" (IDO 51109 in principle, approved on 25th January 1980 and IDO 51161 in detail). The agricultural condition attached to that permission stated.

RECEIVED ON

04 JUL 2011

DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE

"It must be retained as part of the agricultural holding as defined and not sold off or let off separately to the satisfaction of the Committee and occupied by someone whose employment or latest employment is in agriculture."

The consent does not stipulate they have to be in full-time agricultural employment or that agriculture has to be there sole form of employment.

Mr Stephen Ennett is a paid agricultural worker working on a daily basis during the week late afternoon onwards helping in the dairy. He does the same work as required at weekends giving cover so that Mr Colin Duggan and his son Mr William Duggan may get time off. He also works fulltime at harvest time and part time at other activities eg silaging that have been previously listed, and many other smaller ones around the farm. Mr Keith Ennett and Mrs Ennett still work on a "on call" basis as well for the farm. The Ennett family would not be permitted to continue to live in Elmbank if they did not provide essential labour as above. In essence the amount of work undertaken by the Ennetts amounts in time to a full-time equivalent but is not the sole form of employment.

Croit E Quiggin

Croit E Quiggin was proposed (IDO 55205) under section 15 of the then application form "To be used by my son [the current Mr Colin Duggan] who runs farm with me and eventually to be used by myself when my son moves into farm house" dated 2nd September 1981 signed by D Duggan and approved in principle on 25th September 1981 and in detail (IDO 55672) on 11 December 1981 on that basis.

The Planning Officer's report and coincidentally a letter from the then SPMCE dated 16th September 1981 recognise that the late Mr D. Duggan was then referring to his future retrial from the farm when occupation of the dwellings would be swapped. This is what happened and the late Mr D. Duggan and his wife moved into Croit E Quiggin. Following his passing Mrs D A Duggan (senior) herself also a former farm worker has remained in this property entirely in accordance with the stated intention and planning condition (as per Elmbank). She is still part owner of the farm and keep hens.

Site

The selected site is the north-east corner of Field 434152 where it is opposite but not in clear view of another group of buildings, Briarfield, and between Ballavell Farm and Croit E Quiggin above. It is therefore closer to the farm than the latter and also closer than the previous application site - PA 06/1877.

Direct access onto the private road owned by Ballavell may be obtained. This concrete road has a 2.5m - 2.70m wide verge along which good visibility may be obtained. A previous field access has been blocked up and a new one further from the junction of the private road with the Grenaby Road is proposed.

The field has hedging and trees on its north side, a hedge on its east side is 2.5m high.

For the avoidance of doubt however the accompanying aerial photograph illustrates the difficulties of accommodating a dwelling on any other site in the farm street.

1. In front (south) of the farmhouse: adverse impact on the amenity of the farmhouse both as a residence and a guest house. Part of this area is also used as parking in association with the latter.

1. In south west corner of Field 431891: this is downhill of the cowhouses on the farm including the newest agricultural sheds, drainage from the latter collects in a slurry tank in the southern corner of this field.

1. In field 431891 north west of the sheds: this is the site of the silage clamp used extensively and necessarily for the storage of winter fodder as well as containing the access to the field.

1. North-east corner of Field 432274: this is the field access for this large open field. Any dwelling on the north side of the farm would be uphill of it and much more visible in the landscape. Moreover, it would rely on using the same track as dairy cows who are passing along it twice daily for up to 7 months of the year and thus it becomes extremely dirty.

1. Conversion of older buildings in the farm yard: there is only one small old building on the yard and it is not suitable for conversion; it is partly used for storage at present; the other older range is the milking parlour.

1. Extension of Croit E Quiggin to accommodate two generations: it was a requirement of the design of the bungalow that it be orientated a gable end onto the road. There is therefore insufficient room at the side and rear for the size of extension that would be required. Any extension to the front would destroy the amenity of the existing dwelling and result in loss of sunlight to it.

1. On south side of field 432274 adjacent to Elmbank: this would result in the creation of a new access to the field from the lane and the loss of agricultural land more valuable than that proposed.

There are no other habitable houses on the farm and none have been sold off. What was then a roofless ruin (adjacent to Field No 4348235) was sold off by the late Mr Duggan (senior) after he was advised that he would not get planning permission to renovate it. Subsequently a builder was given permission to renovate it and following extension the property has resold for ┬г940,000. Another property which has no connection to the farm but is adjacent to one of its fields (field 434218) sold recently for ┬г600,000. These prices are far too high for a farmer to afford. The price has to be much lower such that the cost may be recovered from renting the property out to someone who is only on an agricultural wage.

Moreover the nearest village Ballasalla is not readily reached at times of year when there is racing on the Southern Hundred Circuit. This cuts off the junction of the Ballamodha Road (to which the Grenaby Road links) with the Ballasalla / Ballabeg Road.

30th June 2011