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Application No.: 16/00250/B Applicant: Mr & Mrs Brian Charlesworth Proposal: Erection of new gate pillars and associated wall and installation of domestic bulk gas storage tank and base Site Address: Mill House Dogmills Ramsey Isle Of Man IM7 4AD Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken: 07.04.2016 Site Visit: 07.04.2016 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation
1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of detached dwelling ("Mill House") that is under construction and located at the south eastern end of The Dog Mills in Bride. The site is divided by an access lane that doubles as a public footpath. - 1.2 Agricultural land borders the site to the south, while to the west (beyond Bride Road) and north lies sporadic residential development amongst further agricultural land. To the immediate east lies the Island's coast, which at this point has a beach through which the Raad ny Foillan runs. The path is bounded to the southern extent by hedging within the ownership of the applicant.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the erection of a gas storage tank behind the existing hedge to the western side of the site as well as a new pair of access gates within a new wall that would run along part of the northern extent of the site, bordering the access lane / public footpath. - 2.2 The wall would be of a slightly irregular width and height given its rough-rendered and somewhat rusticated appearance. (Some of the wall has been built already and photographs submitted, which is helpful in understanding the appearance but of course the existence of the wall is neither to the benefit nor disbenefit of the application.) However, the submitted drawings show it as being 1100mm in height and running roughly 60m in a curved length along the boundary of the property from the adjacent public footpath. The gates are to be 2.5m in width each and 1.5m in height at their highest - there is a curved point at which both meet - and formed of galvanised metal. - 2.3 The proposed gas tank would be 2m by 1m in size, sat on a base of 2.4m by 1.5m: it would be 1.3m in height. Neither this final measurement nor its capacity (1400 litres) were provided on the submitted plans but these details have since been provided to the Department in written correspondence. In respect of the permitted development rights that apply to domestic gas storage under Class 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development Order) 2012, the capacity is well in excess of that allowed under that Class. - 2.4 Amended plans were submitted and circulated for a response; these clarified the extent of the walling and also its finish, which officers had queried.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The dwelling is under construction following the granting of replacement dwellings under various applications (PAs 13/00005/B, 13/91221/B and 14/00458/B, as well as an approved landscaping scheme to the garden (14/00505/B).
4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 In terms of land use, the application site is not designated for any site-specific purpose but is located within a wider area of land classified as high landscape or coastal value and scenic significance under the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Provisional Order 1982. - 4.2 Although the site is not zoned for development, the nature of the proposal is such that General Policy 2 is considered to be of most material relevance; the works are domestic in nature and scale and relate to the dwelling nearing completion on the site:
"Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services of the DoI and Bride Parish Commissioners offered no objection to the planning application on 07.03.2016 and 05.04.2016 respectively. No further comments were received following the circulation of the amended plan. - 5.2 It is noted that Highways made the following comment: "Nothing must be planted or erected within the sightlines which may exceed 1.05 metres in height."
It is not clear to what this refers since the access from the gates is onto a track that doubles as a public footpath - no such comments were made in respect of the applications seeking approval for the dwelling in the first place, and since no drawing showing "sightlines" has been provided with the application - albeit some can be guessed at - it is difficult to know how to take this comment further forward.
6.1 In principle, neither of the works proposed is objectionable. They relate to the residential use of the site and the gas tank in particular is of a muted scale, and in any case is well-screened from the highway and access lane / public footpath. - 6.2 The gates are quite large in scale and might be viewed as out of proportion with the dwelling. However, the dwelling under construction is also really quite grand and benefits from clean and contemporary finishes, which the gates would help complement. Were the gates to front onto the highway they could well be viewed as being a little excessive and grand for what is a rural location, but they are situated well away from the main road and so this is helpful. - 6.3 The detail of the wall is welcomed. The somewhat rustic appearance is somewhat at odds with the contemporary approach taken in respect of the dwelling's design, but this is not in itself objectionable. In some ways, the white render represents a neat balance between the contemporary architecture of the dwelling and the rural location, where render is a common material on dwellings, if not necessarily on other structures. There is a history of walls such as this in England and they are fairly commonly found in Cornwall, for example, and while they are not so common on the Island despite its wealth of attractive coastal locations, this again does not make the walls objectionable. They are satisfactorily low in height and the mottled, roughcast render helps to break up what might otherwise be - despite its curved nature - a somewhat undifferentiated mass along what is a main route to the Raad ny Foillan. It is therefore considered that, while a stone finish would be preferable, that which is proposed is not unacceptable. - 6.4 In respect of the achievable visibility, it is noted that the wall has been brought away from the splay to the east whereas no change is proposed to the hedging to the west. The level of vehicular traffic that would use this lane is likely to be extremely limited, while pedestrian traffic will be at such a low speed, combined with the low speed of vehicle movements exiting this access, such as to conclude that the proposal is acceptable in highway safety terms. - 6.5 The gas tank will be screened from view by the existing hedging along the footpath as well as that to the highway to some degree and, and will also be read against the massing of the dwelling. As such, and although its size is quite significant for domestic storage, it is not considered so large as to warrant an objection in this case. Were it more visible from the highway then a condition requiring either its being coloured in a dark green (for example) or requiring screening might have been given greater consideration.
7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 On the basis of the above, the application is concluded to be acceptable and accordingly is recommended for approval.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of Recommendation: 06.07.2016
C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.
Reason: To comply with article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
The development hereby approved relates to Drawing 1G and the Above Ground Tanks information sheet, both date-stamped as having been received 2nd March 2016, and also to Drawing 27 Rev B, dated as having been received 3rd June 2016.
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Senior Planning Officer in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 07.07.2016 Determining officer
Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer
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