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Application No.: 25/90559/C Applicant: Mrs Lindsey Hotchkiss Proposal: Additional use of offices as tourist accommodation Site Address: Units 1 & 2 Cooil Shellagh Douglas Road Kirk Michael Isle Of Man IM6 1AU Senior Planning Officer: Mrs Louise Phillips Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 04.08.2025 _________________________________________________________________
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
Reason: To comply with Article 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
Reason: To protect the living conditions of the occupants of the main dwelling and to ensure that any future changes in circumstance can be properly assessed.
Reason: To ensure that the development is only used and occupied as short-let holiday accommodation during the holiday season and to prevent the creation of an unjustified separate dwelling in the countryside.
Note: For the remaining months of the year the length of tenancy may exceed four weeks and the units may be occupied by non-tourists.
The proposed development would be acceptable in principle and would cause no harm to the character or appearance of the countryside, to neighbouring amenity or highway safety. It would therefore comply with relevant Development Plan policy.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following plans: 25 1918 01 - Site and Location Plan 25 1918 03 - Proposal Drawing _________________________________________________________________ Right to Appeal No representations were received and so there is no right of appeal. _________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site comprises an attractive stone barn converted into four units being used as either tourist lets or offices, and eight associated parking spaces. It forms part of a small group of buildings approached via a long driveway to the west of the A3 just outside Kirk Michael. The other buildings include a detached dwelling, Cooil Shellagh, and a modern agricultural building.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The barn was converted into four tourist lets in 2002 (planning application 01/02108/B); and in 2013, the two northernmost units were converted to offices to be used by the owners of Cooil Shellagh and their staff to run their tax business. The current proposal is to allow the use of the two northernmost units as either tourist lets or offices. This is because the tax business has moved to Douglas so that the offices are not presently required, and the two remaining holiday lets have plenty of bookings. For the future, while the applicant intends to rent out all four units for holiday lets all year round, she wishes to have the flexibility of dual tourist/office use. - 2.2 No physical changes to the building are proposed, either external or internal. The rooms which were used for office purposes would simply be furnished as either lounges or bedrooms.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific - 3.1 The application site is not within a designated Conservations Area and there are no Registered Buildings, Registered Trees or Registered Tree Areas, which would be affected by the proposal. The site is not at risk of flooding.
3.6 General Policy 3 states that development will not be permitted outside of those areas zoned for development, with exceptions including the following:
3.7 Environment Policy 2 provides that landscape character is the most important consideration in Areas of High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance and Environment Policy 3 seeks to protect woodland. - 3.8 Business Policy 7 requires new office floor space to be located within town and village centres on land which is zoned for the purpose. - 3.9 Business Policies 12 and 14 provide general support for tourism development in the countryside/rural areas subject to various criteria included to protect character and appearance.
4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS - 4.1 Manual for Manx Roads.
5.1 13/91048/B: Conversion of a holiday cottage to provide office accommodation Permitted 1 November 2013. - 5.2 01/02108/B: Conversion of barn to four units for tourist accommodation - Permitted 19 April 2002.
6.1 The following organisations were consulted on 10 June 2025 but, at the time of writing this report, no comments had been received:
7.1 The main issues are the principle of the proposed development in the countryside; its effect upon the character and appearance of the area; upon residential amenity; and upon highway safety.
7.2 The southern end of the building is in tourist use now and, while the two units the subject of this application currently have planning permission for office use, they have had permission for tourist use in the past. Therefore, the proposal for dual office/tourist use would not introduce anything new and, subject to appropriate planning conditions, would simply provide flexibility for the applicant to adapt to changes in their business/tourist market. - 7.3 The site is in the countryside, but the office use is established and the Strategic Plan is generally supportive of tourist accommodation in rural areas where it would make use of existing high quality buildings and protect the landscape and character and appearance of the area. No physical changes are proposed and, given the history of the site for both uses, the development would be acceptable in this location and have no new impact upon the countryside in respect of either character or appearance. - 7.4 There are no near neighbours who could be affected by the proposal; and the site is set well away from the highway and benefits from ample off road parking space.
8.1 For the reasons given above, the proposed development would be acceptable in principle and would cause no harm to the character or appearance of the countryside, to neighbouring amenity or highway safety. It would therefore comply with relevant Development Plan policy. To ensure consistency across the four units in the building, the conditions attached to both earlier grants of planning permission referenced in Section 5 above have been taken into account in recommending the proposal for approval. - 9.0 RIGHT TO APPEAL AND RIGHT TO GIVE EVIDENCE
9.1 The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 sets out the process for determining planning applications (including appeals). It sets out a Right to Appeal (i.e. to submit an appeal against a planning decision) and a Right to Give Evidence at Appeals (i.e. to participate in an appeal if one is submitted).
9.2 Article A10 sets out that the right to appeal is available to:
9.3 Article 8(2)(a) requires that in determining an application, the Department must decide who has a right to appeal, in accordance with the criteria set out in article A10.
9.4 The Order automatically affords the Right to Give Evidence to the following (no determination is required):
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded interested person status and/or rights to appeal.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 04.08.2025 Determining Officer
Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner
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