www.ruralbusinessconsultancyItd.com 19 / 00436 30th March 2019
Re: Erection of an Agricultural Building, Ballavell farm, Grenaby, Ballasalla.
The applicant, Mr Duggan of Ballavell farm Ltd, is seeking to erect a new Agricultural Building to accommodate a new milking parlour and associated livestock handling. I would be grateful if, in assessing the application, you could consider the following points:
The farming business is based around 262 acres of which 70 acres is cultivated for cropping with the remainder in grass.
Stocking includes 90 dairy cows and 172 young stock.
As a result, the farming business has a labour demand of approximately 2.97 standard labour units.
The business is looking to erect a new livestock building standing 4.26 m high to the eves with a cantilever overhang.
The proposed building is intended to facilitate the investment into a new milking parlour along with associated livestock handling.
The current milking parlour is nearing the end of its functional life and due to its location in an old stone building where there is insufficient room to accommodate the larger parlour that is proposed. The current milking parlour milks 6 a side where as the proposed parlour will milk 12 each side.
The proposed new larger milking parlour will allow for the herd to expand to 110 milking cows which will increase the labour requirement to 3.37 standard labour units.
The building will be sited within the existing building cluster to allow for the existing services to be utilised and to ensure stock and machinery access is not compromised.
The proposed building will be clad with Yorkshire boarding style wood above a concrete wall to the southern gable with the northern gable being fitted with gates to hold and manage stock easily. The two sides will be incorporated with the existing building structures to manage stock efficiently.
The building will be fitted with an open protected ventilated ridge as per DEFA guidelines for livestock housing.
There is a small, homemade, lean too building within the proposed building curtilage that will be removed to accommodate the proposed building.
A stone wall will also be removed to allow access into the building from the yard and improve access to the buildings.
Roof water will be piped into existing drainage.
In conclusion, the proposed building is agriculturally justified, allowing for the expansion and modernisation of the existing farming business. The new milking parlour will greatly improve animal handling and the milking process.
Yours Sincerely
Chris Kneale
Rural Business Consultancy Ltd.
Worksheet for calculation of Standard Labour unit requirements
Produced by the Agriculture Directorate of Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. These standards figures are sourced from the SAC Farm Management Handbook 25th edition, published September 2004, page 281
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Source & Provenance
Official reference
19/00436/B
Source authority
Isle of Man Government Planning & Building Control
