30 May 2014 · Committee
Land To Rear Of, The Lancashire House, Main Road, Santon, Isle Of Man, IM4 1hs
Haven Homes Limited applied for approval in principle to build a residential development with a new highway access on the site of the former Lancashire Hotel, Furness Cottage, and land to the rear, on New Castletown Road, Newtown. The application was refused. Although the scheme was acknowledged as potentially bringing some benefits — including additional housing and improved play, recreation, and community facilities — the majority of the site had no designation for development. The decision-maker concluded the location was not sustainable for significant new housing given the absence of nearby amenities and facilities. The refusal was confirmed following a ministerial review. The Minister for Infrastructure accepted the appointed person's conclusions and directed that the Planning Committee's refusal be upheld, finding the proposal contrary to several policies in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007.
The application was refused because most of the site is not designated for development and the location lacks the amenities and facilities needed to support significant new housing. The decision-maker found it inappropriate to approve a development of this scale without a land use designation or an assessment of housing need, and considered it premature to assume Newtown was suitable for expansion of this size ahead of the Area Plan for the East.
Refusal Reasons
