Replace existing stables with a building to provide two self catering tourist accommodation units
Site Address:
Stables Adjacent To Ballavartyn House Ballavartyn Road
Santon
Isle Of Man
Case Officer:
Miss S E Corlett
Photo Taken:
Site Visit:
Expected Decision Level:
Planning Committee
THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE DUE TO THE HISTORY OF THE SITE: THE MOST RECENT APPLICATION FOR THIS SITE WAS CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE
The Site
The site is an area of land which lies to the south east of the A5 Douglas to Castletown Road. The site focuses on Ballavartyn, a former farm which has recently been the subject of a number of substantial approved developments, some of which are being or have been implemented: the roadway is completed up to the entrance to the equestrian facility and there are the frames of some of the equestrian buildings currently in place. The site defined in red includes the relatively new access to the site from the A5 to the south of the B37 Sloping/Clenagh Road and a relatively small part of the overall holding to the south of a large new equestrian facility. The area of the site excluding the access is around one third of an acre. The access is half a kilometer long.
Presently on site is a stable and part of a barn with associated tarmacadam hardstanding. At the southern end of the site are trees - a beech, an elm, and ash, a hawthorn and an oak. The buildings are visible as one approaches the new equestrian facilities - the rear of the barn and stable facing the access.
The Proposal
Proposed is the demolition of the existing stable building and its replacement with a new building to provide tourist accommodation. The existing building is two storey, slightly lower (1.5m) than the adjacent handsome stone barn. The stable is finished in sheeting the lower half finished in blockwork with large sliding doors in the frontage.
The replacement building will be a little larger in footprint than the existing - 9.7m by 14.8m compared with 9.2m by 13.7m, much of this additional area due to the Manx stonework to be applied to the outer face of the new building. The new building will be barn-like in appearance and the same height and physically linked to the adjacent barn which has permission for conversion to tourist accommodation (PA 10/0027).
The new building will have a large glazed feature on the front elevation, reminiscent of the large sliding doors on the existing building but with a curved head. The greater depth of building is accommodated by a single storey rear annex with catslide roof merging into the main rear pitch. The ground floor of the new building is disabled-accessible, resulting in two
apartments which have a bedroom and all the living accommodation accessible by disabled people with two additional bedrooms above.
The proposed building complements the existing barn alongside more than did the previously approved scheme for the conversion of the existing stable which resulted in a building of greater depth and thus greater massing: the proposed building has a slimmer two storey section which is more like the adjacent barn and therefore more sympathetic to the character of the building group.
Planning Status And Policy
The site lies within an area of High Landscape Value and Scenic Significance on the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Order 1982.
As such, there is a presumption against development as set out in Environment Policies 1 and 2. The proposal does not involve the conversion of an existing building and the existing building is not of architectural, social or historic interest. As such Environment Policy 16 is not applicable to this development.
Planning History
The site has been the subject of a number of applications for very significant development of this site, transforming it into a substantial equestrian facility.
PA 12/00028/B - conversion of stables into self catering tourist accommodation units and creation of driveway link to approved vehicular access (PA 10/01672/B) Status - Permitted 23rd April 2012
PA 12/00030/B - Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of replacement dwelling and creation of driveway link to approved vehicular access road (PA 10/01672/B) Status - Permitted 6th March 2012
PA 12/00027/B - Conversion of existing barns into self catering tourist accommodation and creation of driveway link to approved vehicular access road (PA 10/01672/B) Status Permitted 6th March 2012
PA 10/01672/B - Erection of new equestrian arena, stabling blocks, horse walker, storage sheds, external manège, horse exercise track and creation of new vehicular access to main road and new access road serving development Status Permitted 15th February 2011
Representations
Highways Division indicate that they do not oppose the application.
The Manx Electricity Authority seek consultation regarding the provision of new electricity supplies to the development and existing electricity supplies at the site.
Assessment
It is clear from considering the existing building, the land use designation and the prevailing policies that the replacement of the stable with a block of tourist accommodation is not in accordance with adopted policy. However, a significant material consideration is the most recent application, PA 12/0028 which proposed the conversion of this same building to tourist accommodation. As the building is not of architectural, social or historic interest, that proposal failed to accord with policy but was approved by the Planning Committee for a number of reasons.
The Committee was satisfied that this proposal represents only a small part of the overall scheme and also that the scheme as a whole represents a significant contribution to the
economy through constriction investment, the provision of a very high quality equestrian facility and the provision of very high quality tourist accommodation, particularly in respect of tourist accommodation which is suitable for disabled persons. This accords with the Government Plan objective to pursue economic progress through a manageable and sustainable growth of the economy based upon a diversified economy and the objectives of the recent draft Circular on Planning and the Economy of February 2012 which seeks to achieve sustainable growth with a planning system which can respond quickly and efficiently to development, presuming in favour of such proposals whilst protecting the countryside and enhancing the quality of the natural and built environment where the development supports growth and has a greater emphasis on the quality of the design (paragraph 2). In the case of this application, the design is much more appropriate and more attractive than that of the previously approved scheme.
The Circular also states that it is essential that planning makes appropriate provision for the identified national needs of the entire economy and assists in steering economic development to the most appropriate locations. In this case the site is considered appropriate for the proposed use in that it is compatible with the other authorised uses on the site – the equestrian uses which can and will be used by disabled persons (there is a local branch of the Riding For The Disabled Association whose courses can and will be marketed through the new facility) and immediately alongside approved tourist accommodation. It is important that visitors to our Island have available a range of accommodation - from hotels and guest houses to more rural locations where visitors may take full advantage of the rural environment which the planning system tries so hard to protect. In this case the new building will be unseen by the public due to its location and also in amongst much more significant other buildings.
As such, the starting point should be that the building has permission for conversion to tourist accommodation. The proposed development is not considered to be any greater a departure from policy than that which has approval and there are several benefits and improvements from what is now proposed in comparison. The new building will be able to be built with modern building techniques which are more energy efficient than converting a former single skin sheeted building. The new building has more traditional proportions than that which has approval and will be physically linked to the adjacent barn and will be more sympathetic to it. The conversion formerly approved would have re-used little of the existing fabric and the finished building would have borne very little resemblance to the original building which is not necessarily a negative factor.
It is considered that the proposed new building is more sympathetic to the character of the area and is a better scheme than that which has approval and could be implemented, and as such is recommended for approval.
Party Status
The local authority, Santon Parish Commissioners are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.
The Department of Transport Highways and Traffic Division is now part of the Department of Infrastructure of which the planning authority is part. As such, the Highways and Traffic Division cannot be afforded party status in this instance.
There are electricity lines close to the building which is the subject of this application and as such the comments raised by are material planning considerations and the Authority should be afforded party status in this case.
Recommendation
Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal
C: Conditions for approval N: Notes attached to conditions R: Reasons for refusal O: Notes attached to refusals
C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
C 2. This permission relates to the replacement of the existing stable building with tourist accommodation as shown in drawings P/10-00, P/10-01, P/10-02, P/10-03, P/10-04 and P12-01 all received on 1st June, 2012.
C 3. Between 1st March and 1st October in any one year the holiday accommodation hereby approved must be used only for individual lets not exceeding four weeks in duration. Outside this period longer lets to tourists are permissible. For the avoidance of doubt, no approval should hereby be inferred to the use of the new accommodation as one or more separate dwellings.
I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the Town and Country (Development Procedure) 2005
