Statement to Planning Committee
Statement to the Planning Committee
As many of you here will know, I am an inventor. This means that I look at existing materials and structures and consider how they may be used in different ways to produce something that may be more practical, safer or simply more up to date. Over the years, I have applied this approach to my housebuilding projects – Spindrift in Castletown and Arragon Mooar in Santon. Spindrift, being a coastal residence, incorporates a lighthouse type structure, Arragon Mooar is essentially an English Country House that sits within an estate but with the classical details presented in a completely new way. Unique elliptical classical columns are used on the front elevation and the house has a copper roof to blend in with the green of the surrounding fields. Each of these dwellings sits comfortably within their very different surroundings demonstrating that I am certainly cognisant of the need to ensure that any new project is sympathetic to its setting.
For some time I have been wondering what to do with the cottage at Ballawoods Crossing. At present it lays derelict on the tourist Steam Railway. The structure is becoming unsafe and something must be done. The site has also been compromised by moving the rails about one metre closer to the cottage when the sewage pipe was installed on the other side of the track. In the process, the contractors demolished the front porch and the railway fence was reinstalled so close to the cottage that the main access is now not available. Furthermore, size and standards of accommodation required have increased over the years as to make this impractical to be used as a dwelling. In short, the cottage at Ballawoods Crossing cannot be used in its current form or in its current location.
When I was thinking about an alternative plan for the site, I made several trips round the South of the Island and to Peel to see what the tradition in Manx country architecture was. There appears to be nothing Manx built after the cottage with the thatched reed roof held down from the wind by old fishing nets and rope. The next generation appear to be standard town houses and these have been followed by the ubiquitous Manx characterless bungalows. To turn the existing Crossings structure around to give access away from the railway and replace the building with a typical Manx bungalow would I believe inflict a further blot on the landscape of the tourist railway.
I remembered seeing the Ugly House in North Wales some 60 years ago. The structure was unique with the use of huge stones. The large pitched roof on the Ugly House was to me the least attractive feature in a unique building. The gold shingles I also saw in Innsbruck some 60 years ago were remembered as an attractive shape to emulate that invokes the shape of a thatch roof.
This planning application is my attempt to evoke the spirit of the traditional thatched cottage changing the thatch for a soft green rounded copper roof to blend into the Manx landscape. The railway is above the surrounding ground level giving the possibility to create a spacious complete three bedroom building and garage on three floors in which a family will wish to live but the lower level is invisible from the railway to reduce the visual impact. Further screening could be provided if required by planting additional Manx National Species of trees – I would note that when Arragon Mooar was being constructed, very few trees were removed and over ten thousand new trees and shrubs were planted.
I believe that this design will provide a unique new cottage comfortable in the Manx landscape to give a place of interest and comment to visitors as well as being practical enough to provide reasonable sized family accommodation.
