Planning Justification Statement

12 00643

APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE FOR ERECTION OF A DWELLING, COURT FARM, MAIN ROAD, NEWTOWN.

Court Farm is on the southern side of the Main Road at Newtown. It ceased being a farm some 30 years ago. Since then there have been stables attached to Court Farm but at present there are no horses accommodated here. Sufficient land is still owned by Court Farm outside of this proposal should this use resume. The proposed site therefore represents land surplus to requirements for the property.

The proposed bungalow would be for my clients Mr & Mrs John Bateson. The existing Court Farm would then probably be occupied by their son and his family.

The site covers 19600sq.m of a 25900sq.m field. The remainder of the field will stay as paddock attached to Court Farm. To the south-east of the site is a high voltage power line. All of the site is outside of the 18m protective corridor required for safeguarding that line.

The site has substantial existing mixed tree belts on its north-eastern and north-western (Main Road) sides 12m and 13m deep respectively. There is additional tree and hedge planting on the south-east and south-west sides of the site.

The site is between the former Methodist Chapel / hall and the access drive to Court Farm buildings. Conversion of the Methodist Chapel / hall to residential use has been permitted (PA 11/0153/B). Adjacent to the site on its south side a large extension of Westmoor (formerly Rose Lea, formerly Fallaise) has been permitted along with the erection of a stable block on land immediately adjacent to the application site. To the rear east side of the site beyond the remaining paddock area substantial redevelopment of a house and new development including an indoor ménage and access road has been permitted at Ballavartyn House.

Development of a bungalow would be set back within the site such that it would not be readily visible from the highway and would be approximately mid-way between the building line of Court Farm and that of the former Methodist Chapel / Hall.

Access would be off the existing drive to Court Farm. At the junction of this drive and A5 Main Road visibility splays of 2.4m x 160m are obtainable. Land on either side of the access drive remains in the ownership of the applicant to ensure that these splays will be maintained as required. The access is within Newtown's 50mph speed limit. In the Main Road opposite the former chapel to the southeast of the access is a traffic island which serves to ensure that there is no overtaking by north-east bound traffic such that it would be on the nearside of the road as it approaches Court Farm. At an onsite meeting with Ms Andrea Georgeson of the Highways Division, it was stated by Ms Georgeson that the existing visibility is adequate for a further dwelling to be served by this access point without any modifications to it.

It is proposed to create a new access off this drive to the proposed house site rather than use the existing access directly opposite Court Farmhouse. While the access drive is wide enough to accommodate two cars passing this would mean there is less likelihood of larger vehicles travelling to the separate properties meeting on it. The land to be left as paddock on the south-east of the site can already be accessed separately from Court Farm round the eastern end of that site. Albeit

creating a new access from the drive would result in the loss of some tree planting this could be compensated for by blocking up the access drive opposite the front of Court farm house and planting it with trees. In making these changes the site would not be opened up to view from the public thoroughfare.

Newtown is one of the settlements identified in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 as capable of accommodating growth. The 1982 Isle of Man Development Plan allocated an area on the northwest side of the AS for development. This has been fully developed and there are now no undeveloped allocated areas of land within the settlement. The site represents infill between properties that now solely have residential use. The whole of Newtown including the areas now developed is constrained by being within An Area of High Landscape Value and Scenic Significance. Development of this site which has the benefit of existing mature landscaping would represent an unobtrusive infill in the locality.

Court Farm is served by existing mains drainage. The drainage links through from the farmhouse through its garden running in a north-west direction roughly parallel to the access drive to link to the public mains drain at the side of the AS near the entrance. The proposal could also link into this drain without any undue problem. There is also a bus stop a short distance away from the property. This is served by buses every 20 minutes on the Douglas to Castletown route. It is a sustainable site.