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This Design Statement accompanies the full planning application for the conversion of the existing redundant building and single storey extension to create a three-bedroom residential property within the ground of Ellenbrook Farm, Old Castletown Road, Braddan.
In this Design Statement, the existing site, details of pre-application consultations, and the development proposals are discussed in full and should be read in conjunction with the following:
The application site comprises of the residential property known as Ellenbrook Farm and a detached single storey former barn located in the east of the Isle of Man on the outskirts of the parish of Braddan.
The application site covers approximately 4,575 square metres and is within the agricultural curtilage of the farm known as Ellenbrook. The site as a whole comprises a farmhouse, redundant agricultural building (subject of this application), and landscaped gardens / grazing farmland. The extent of the site is highlighted in red and blue on Carl Jenkins Design drawing numbered 2016/08/02 included with this application. The extent of the access drive that is owned by Carnane Estates Ltd (Mr. Michael Whipp - Managing Director) but which Ellenbrook have a legal right of way over is highlighted in green.
The application site is on part of the agricultural land associated with Ellenbrook Farm and is a former agricultural barn, which is currently used as a store. The building has a footprint of 76 square metres and a total internal usable floor area of 59 square metres. The building is constructed of Manx stone, refer to elevations and photographs for details, with a natural slate roof to one side with a profiled cement roofing sheet to the other side.
As farming operations have now ceased at Ellenbrook Farm, the detached building and storage space offered has become redundant to the day-to-day operation of the farm and the building is falling into disrepair.
16/01/150
Photographs of the application building are included on Carl Jenkins Design drawings numbered 2015/41/02.
Vehicle access to Ellenbrook farmhouse is from the Old Castletown Road, via a private access drive that serves the residential property only. The barn building has a separate vehicular entrance onto the Old Castletown Road, which serves the barn, a government storage compound and provides vehicular access to the railway lines and fields below. This access track is under the ownership of Carnane Estates Ltd and a legal agreement is in place to allow vehicular access to the barn building.
The detached building is located adjacent to the Isle of Man Steam Railway and can be viewed by passengers on the passing trains, which run on a regular basis during the summer months. The boundary between the building and railway tracks comprises of low level bushes / trees which would allow views of the countryside beyond from the converted building.
A structural survey of the building has been carried out by BB Consulting and a copy of their report is included within the planning submission documents.
The site has been subject to several planning applications under previous owners, details are included below for reference in relation to this application. However, the current owner has not submitted any planning applications,
My partner and I are both Manx born, and although currently living in Edinburgh, we are looking forward to returning to the Island this summer to live on a permanent basis.
We are genuinely excited about the potential opportunity to renovate a barn currently lying derelict on my Mother’s land at Ellenbrook Farm. The building has already been granted previous planning permission for a 2-bedroom holiday cottage and we have studied these plans carefully along with the relevant planning regulations when developing our plans. Working collaboratively with Carl Jenkins we have created a
| Ref | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 89/04131/A | Refused | Approval in principle for erection of dwelling and upgrading of existing dwelling. |
| 91/01018/B | Refused | Demolition & erection of new farmhouse |
| 91/01607/A | Permitted | Approval in principle for replacement of existing farmhouse |
| 93/01204/B | Split Decision | Provision of duck pond in lower paddock and land fill in field 6008 |
| 94/00288/B | Refused | Erection of farm implement shed. |
| 03/01412/B | Permitted | Conversion of existing barn/workshop into tourist accommodation. |
plan we think fits in well with the surrounding area and also meets both the planning and our personal requirements.
We are returning to the Island on a permanent basis and are therefore looking to build a property that meets our needs both now and in the future. As we are planning on starting a family of our own, we have incorporated a modest extension that will provide us with the bedroom and living space required to live comfortably. In addition, we have purposely included windows and openings to take advantage of the natural light and views the property has the potential to offer.
Being able to convert a redundant building to create a house in this location would not only give us the opportunity to own a property on the Island, but also provide us with the peace of mind that we will be close to my mother as she gets older (in addition to having a babysitter close by!).
PRE APPLICATION ADVICE
During the design process, pre-application consultation has taken place with Ms Melissa McKnight, Assistant Planning Officer and Miss Sarah Corlett, Senior Planning Officer. This consultation was in the form of email correspondence.
The advice given in the pre application consultations has been incorporated into the drawings and information that form the basis of this application.
PLANNING POLICY
The application site falls within the Local Area Plan for Braddan, dated 1991. Map 3 of the Braddan Local Plan 1991 indicates the application site is within an area designated as Open Space (Agriculture).
The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 contains several policies that are considered relevant to this application. The main policies include General Policy 3, Housing Policy 11 and paragraph 8.10 Conversion of Rural Buildings to Dwellings.
General Policy 3
b) By means of reduction of farm operations at Ellenbrook Farm then the building has become redundant and is currently used as limited storage space. These proposals will bring the building back into use associated with Ellenbrook farmhouse and will preserve the structural integrity and visual appearance of the original building for many years to come.
Housing Policy 11
a) The use of the existing building to the farming operations of Ellenbrook farm is redundant as no commercial farming is carried out on the site.
b) The structural integrity of the existing building is sound and the conversion works will not affect this, refer to attached structural engineer's report.
c) The proposals involve limited alteration to the external appearance of the existing building in order to maximize the countryside views afforded to the residential property.
d) A single storey, modest and subordinate extension will be constructed on the side of the existing building to provide additional residential accommodation as part of the proposals. The ground floor area, including extension will be approximately 102 sq.m, which will accommodate a 3-bedroom residential property.
e) The conversion will provide residential accommodation to a family member of the owner of Ellenbrook farmhouse to be used in conjunction with Ellenbrook farm.
f) Incoming services and foul water drainage can be easily provided.
The proposal seeks to convert the existing agricultural storage building into a new residential property of a very high standard, for use by a family member of the current owner of Ellenbrook farm.
The existing building is of suitable scale to accommodate a residential property with the addition of a small single storey extension to the North East gable of the existing building. The internal layout of the converted building has been considered to maximise the orientation of the existing building, take advantage of the views afforded to the building whilst utilising the existing window openings where possible.
The conversion works will respect the form of the original building and improve the visual appearance by upgrading the external materials to modern standards whilst maintaining the original appearance. The new single storey extension has been designed to be in keeping with the form and scale of the original building whilst remaining modest and subordinate to the original building.
The proposed scheme would have very little impact on the external appearance of the building when viewed from the Old Castletown Road as the majority of window openings are retained. One window opening will be converted to a door opening and an additional window will be added. In order to maximise the stunning views afforded to the converted property, new window & door openings will be created in the North West elevation (similar to the approved conversion scheme in 2003).
It is intended that the highest quality materials be used throughout the conversion project in keeping with the client's brief. All new reconstituted roofing tiles will match the existing farmhouse and will be in keeping with the surrounding area. The external walls to the existing building will be repaired and repointed as necessary before receiving a masonry paint finish. The roof of the new extension will be constructed and finished using roofing tile to match the converted building and the external walls will receive a masonry paint finish applied to a smooth render.
None of the other neighbouring properties are in close enough proximity to be affected by the proposals and the visual appearance of the building will be improved when viewed by passengers of the Steam Railway.
The existing vehicular access track from the Old Castletown Road is to be retained for access to the converted residential property and this has been agreed with the owner, Carnane Estate Ltd. Two car parking spaces will be provided adjacent to the converted building for use by the owners, refer to Site Plan for location.
Any spoil removed as part of the proposals (approx. 45 m 3 ) will be carried off site by an approved contractor and deposited in an approval facility.
We feel the proposals for the building conversion will significantly improve the function of the existing building to serve as a family dwelling whilst enhancing the visual appearance. The proposals will ensure the existing building does not fall into dis-repair and is brought back into use to ensure its future upkeep.
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