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Application No.: 16/01279/B Applicant: Ballacreggan Farms Ltd Proposal: Alterations and extension to existing farm building to facilitate change of use to veterinary practice and separate office with associated parking, including alterations to existing vehicular access to improve visibility Site Address: Ballacreggan Farm Plantation Road Port St. Mary Isle of Man IM9 5AY Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken: 15.12.2016 Site Visit: 15.12.2016 Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee
THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS THE SITE IS NOT DESIGNATED FOR DEVELOPMENT
1.1 The site is part of Ballacreggan Farm which is situated on the corner of the junction of Station Road, Bay View Road, Beach Road and Plantation Road to the north of Port St. Mary village. The farm extends as far as The Station Hotel and Truggan Road and has Plantation Road as its south eastern boundary. - 1.2 The farm buildings are located at the junction of the four roads named above and comprise a traditional farm house and a range of outbuildings which mainly run to the north, alongside Station Road. The outbuildings are a striking characteristic alongside Station Road, lime-washed stone which has becomes a dirty brown/grey due to traffic fumes, as is the farmhouse. One exception to this finish is the building which is the subject of the current application. This, like the building to the north, is finished in a combination of brick and stone under a slated roof. - 1.3 To the west of the building is an open area which gives access to the field to the west and currently has some hard core stored upon it. - 1.4 8m to the south west of the site is a vehicular entrance to Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey. THE PROPOSAL
2.1 Proposed is the conversion of the outbuilding to a veterinary surgery. Parking will be provided in the area to the west with a total of 20 spaces partitioned off from the field by a fence with new hedge behind and grassed areas around the parking space. The spaces are slightly wider than normal to allow easier access for people carrying their pets in carriers. Part of the Plantation Road boundary wall will be lowered to 600mm to allow for visibility for those emerging from the site. An animal exercise area is proposed at the rear of the northern part of the building. - 2.2 The conversion of the building involves changes to the structure including the blocking off of a couple of existing openings, the introduction of a few ground floor level windows and the addition of a single storey extension on the west as a rendered annex with a lean-to roof linking in with the main pitch. This will span the northern half of the western elevation.
2.3 The accommodation will provide two first floor areas of office space which are not interconnected at first floor level with library and staff room: on the ground floor there will be a cat ward, a dog ward, two consulting rooms, a laundry, isolation room, dental theatre, sterile theatre and x-ray facility with a reception and waiting area in the new rear annex nearest to the car park. - 2.4 The supporting information indicates that the facility will be occupied by an existing veterinarian who currently operates from Port Erin. They have 9 employees and hope to expand to 12 who work on a rota basis so only 6 are likely to be there at any one time. They operate Monday to Friday 0830
2.5 The owner explains that the building has been used for some time for storage and a workshop but as the size of machinery has grown over time, the building is no longer as suitable for this purpose and the farm outsources repairs and maintenance and there is ample space in the other buildings. - 2.6 They describe the building as well placed in terms of shops and services and public transport and more suitable for farmers who may need to bring sheep or other livestock to the practice which is not practicable in Port Erin. Delays are occurring where customers at Port Erin find it difficult to locate a parking space, which leads to appointments running on. They indicate that they have been looking for alternative premises for some time. They explain how important the internal layout of the building is for efficiency and accordance with biosecurity. They consider the application building is ideal and maintains a link between the new use which maintains the future of the building with the agricultural use of the rest of the site. They refer to the Crown Estate in Nottinghamshire which has the Buttercross Veterinary Centre which was accommodated within an historic building. - 2.7 The applicant has provided additional information in the form of a plan reference 1730-02A which shows the available visibility from the entrance as proposed to be modified by the reduction in the height of the roadside wall to 1.05m above road level. The splays go off the plan at a distance of 54m to the south west to over 80m to the north east although the latter is measured to the farside, not nearside carriageway. However, this distance includes stop signs and a right turn into the path of the visibility where vehicles will be slowing down, stationary or moving off. PLANNING POLICY
3.1 The site is not designated for any particular use on the Area Plan for the South adopted in 2013: the village boundary runs along Plantation Road, including the settlement to the south but excluding this site. Ballacreggan Farm is listed in the plan as worthy of consideration for Registration. The site does not lie within the proposed Conservation Area. - 3.2 The Strategic Plan provides guidance on the conversion of rural buildings as follows:
Environment Policy 16 states "The use of existing rural buildings for new purposes such as tourist or small-scale industrial/commercial use may be permitted where:
f) the use of existing buildings involves significant levels of redevelopment to accommodate the new use, the benefits secured by the proposal in terms of impact on the environment and the rural economy shall outweigh the continued impact of retaining the existing buildings on site.
Proposals to convert rural buildings to residential accommodation will be considered along with the advice given at Section 8.10 of this document".
4.1 The farm has been the subject of a number of applications, none of which is considered relevant to the consideration of the current proposal. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Senior Biodiversity Officer recommends that a survey for owls and bats should be undertaken prior to the commencement of works and appropriate measures taken to safeguard any found during the survey (16.12.16).
5.2 Port St. Mary Commissioners raise no objection to the application (15.12.16). - 5.3 The owner of Ridgeway, Plantation Road, which lies 100m to the south west of the site, expresses concern at the potential for conflict between the users of the new practice and the children coming from and to the school, particularly as children are encouraged to walk to and from school. She would also appreciate confirmation that the operators of the school have no objection to the proposal (15.12.16). - 5.4 Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey was contacted and they indicate that they have no objection to the application (29.12.16). - 5.5 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services seek a deferral on 13th December, 2016 on the basis that:
The proposal is to reuse a farm building as a veterinary practice. The practice currently operates within Port Erin and has no parking provision. The proposal is on the edge of Port St Mary village with good access links to the highway network. There is ample parking and manoeuvring space on site. The visibility is indicated on Quay Design Limited drawing number 1730-02 dated 11/01/16. Visibility to the north east is to the junction with Station Road; visibility to the south west is shown over land outside the application site and appears to involve lowering a significant length of wall. Visibility to the south west should be restricted to 40m, the wall should be lowered to 1.05m above the highway rather than 600mm and should only be lowered for the extent of the site indicated by the red line. Please defer the application to allow the applicant to consider the above.
6.1 There is clearly advice available which encourages the use of redundant buildings which add positively to an area's character. In this case, the applicant has explained that the building is no longer required for agricultural purposes and the farm is noted in the Area Plan as being worthy of consideration for Registration so clearly has architectural merit and the outbuildings alongside Station Road add considerably to the character of this roadway as the entrance to Port St. Mary village.
6.2 The works to the building will change it only slightly in that a new addition will be added at the rear. If this is self coloured or painted a brown, grey or neutral colour rather than white or cream, this, whilst rendered, will not sit uncomfortably amongst the other buildings. - 6.3 The proposed use would generate more vehicle movements in and out of the site than at present but the access is suitable for the level of traffic generated and there is sufficient car parking to be provided.
6.4 The proposal would bring a vet's practice to the village and within walking distance from many properties within it. The site is also convenient to public transport routes. The applicant has clarified the different areas of specialist facilities required and the space and nature of the space which mean that few, if any of the existing properties within the village boundary would lend themselves to such a use and even if they did, it is very unlikely that such premises would have sufficient parking adequately close to the building itself. As such, it is not considered that this is a facility which should be specifically and exclusively located within a town or village and indeed, the incoming user of the building has indicated that they are moving from a similar location which struggles to provide adequate space and car parking. As such, it is considered that the proposal will not have any adverse impact on the viability and vitality of Port St. Mary. Rather to the contrary, the facility may add to the range of services and facilities available in the village, with the possibility of people coming to the surgery and shopping in the village in the same visit. - 6.5 In terms of acceptability of use per se, the location of a veterinary practice on a farm is considered complimentary in that animals will be coming and going in an environment where animals are kept and cared for. The vets' practices on the Island are in a range of locations - rural, built up, commercial, residential which all serve a range of needs. This is no different from that. - 6.6 The proposal is considered to be a welcome addition to the farm and to the village and is recommended for approval.
7.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
The Senior Biodiversity Officer is within the same Department as is the planning authority and should not be afforded interested person status under the Order.
In addition to those above, article 6(3) of the Order requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application.
In this instance, it is recommended that the following persons have sufficient interest and should be awarded the status of an Interested Person in accordance with Government Circular 0046/13:
Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey whose access is close to the application site. In this instance, it is recommended that the following persons do not have sufficient interest to be awarded the status of an Interested person in accordance with Government Circular 0046/13: the owner of Ridgeway which is considered to be too far away from the site to be directly affected by the proposal.
With effect from 1 June 2015, the Transfer of Planning & Building Control Functions Order 2015 amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 to give effect to the meaning of the word 'Department' to be the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture unless otherwise directed by that Order.
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 23.01.2017 Conditions and Notes for Approval: C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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.
This approval relates to drawings 1730-01A, 1730-03, 1730-04 and 1730-05 all received on 14th November, 2016 and 1730-02A received on 5th January, 2017.
I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the appropriate delegated authority.
Decision Made : Permitted Committee Meeting Date: 06.02.2017 Signed : C Balmer Presenting Officer Further to the decision of the Committee a condition of approval was amended YES/NO See below
Application No. : 16/01279/B Applicant : Ballacreggan Farms Ltd Proposal : Alterations and extension to existing farm building to facilitate
change of use to veterinary practice and separate office with associated parking, including alterations to existing vehicular access to improve visibility
Site Address : Ballacreggan Farm Plantation Road Port St. Mary Isle of Man IM9 5AY Presenting Officer : Chris Balmer Addendum to the Officer’s Report Condition 4 to be amended to reflect Highways comments at committee regarding visibility.
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.
This approval relates to drawings 1730-01A, 1730-03, 1730-04 and 1730-05 all received on 14th November, 2016 and 1730-02A received on 5th January, 2017.
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