Ballacashin Farm Bungalow Planning Statement
Approval In Principle For Bungalow, Ballacashin Farm, Abbeylands, Onchan
Approval in principle is sought for a modest 2 bedroom bungalow on land next to the "depot" which is owned by the applicant at Ballacashin Farm.
The depot is used for a large collection of vehicles by Mr Gwillam Owen and his partially disabled son Mr Roger Owen. The depot obtained a Certificate of Lawful use for this purpose in June 2010 (AH/10/00473/LAW). A small extension to this storage building was approved in July 2010 (PA 10/00469/B). The contents of the depot were at the time described by the planning officer as "extensive and valuable".
To date Mr & Mrs Gwilym Owen and their partially disabled son have all lived at Ballacashin Farmhouse adjacent to the depot. Mr Owen works at the "depot" every day. The farm itself has not existed as such for a considerable number of years. The existing dwelling is 4-bedroomed.
Mrs Owen is now confined to a wheelchair. Their present house is too big for Mr Gwilym Owen to look after and to take care of his wife. It is also not adaptable to wheelchair use. At the same time there needs to be a continuous presence on site due to the nature and value of the depot.
Mr Owen would therefore like to construct a small 2-bedroom bungalow next to the depot. This would enable his other son, Michael, to take over Ballacashin Farmhouse; Michael, runs Station Garage in Castletown so would not be able to be on site during the day to provide the security that the depot building needs.
If Mr Gwilym Owen cannot build this dwelling at Ballacashin he and his wife will have to leave their home of 40 years to move into town and he would have to travel to and from the site every day; he would also have then to engage a companion for his wife while he is away at the depot.
The site is accessible via the existing site access to the depot. There is a klargester in the field in front of the depot and this would be utilised for the bungalow. The site is totally screened from the public Abbeylands Road by the Leylandii about 5m high which exist on the boundary of the site and serve to hide both it and the depot.
The size of dwelling shown, 7m x 21m, is to illustrate that a size in accordance with guidance in Circular 3/91 Guide to the design of Residential Dwellings in the Countryside for single storey dwellings could be obtained on the site. However it could be rearranged on this site as / if deemed appropriate.
The locality of Lanjaghyn has a number of dwellings in a group which the proposal would link into. Recently permission has been given at Lanjaghyn Farm for the subdivision of the farm to create a replacement large dwelling and a separate new farmhouse and farmbuildings as well as conversion of the existing old farm buildings into 11 tourist units. This substantial increase in "residential" units indicates that there is an acceptance that the locality and Abbeylands Road, with minor road widening which has been undertaken, can accommodate additional residential traffic. A previous application at Ballacashin Farm for an additional residential unit utilising the same access as proposed at present was acceptable to the Highways Division (PA 08/00579/A) albeit the application itself was refused. The decision was not taken to appeal.
