Loading document...
| Case Officer : | Miss S E Corlett |
| Photo Taken : | 30.01.2013 |
| Site Visit : | 30.01.2013 |
| Expected Decision Level : | Planning Committee |
THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AT THE REQUEST OF THE DEVELOPMENT CONTROL MANAGER
1.1 The site is a parcel of land situated on the western side of the Staarvey Road - the highway which runs north-south between the A4 coast road and the A3 TT course. The site itself is almost 9 acres in area and part of a much larger area to the north and south which is farmed from this core area. The site accommodates an existing agricultural building and a cottage which has permission for renovation (PA 12/00306).
1.2 The site slopes downward from east to west and is served by an existing access from the Staarvey Road which leads past the cottage on the right to the existing agricultural building to the south west. There are various drainage ditches and water courses towards the lower end of the site.
2.1 Proposed is the erection of two barns side by side and two silage storage bays to the north of the new buildings. The works will involve earth moving to build up the northern side of the site and also the ground level will be reduced at the southern end. A new access from the existing agricultural building and hard standing will be formed, leading to a new 6m wide stone yard area around the new buildings.
2.2 The new buildings will have a floor area each of 18.3m by 44.5m with overhanging eaves, adding a further 2.3m to each side of the width of the buildings. They will be finished in concrete walls up to a height of 2.1m with cattle feed bars across the length of the buildings. Above this the buildings will be finished in pressure treated timber boarding to the eaves and the roof will be finished in corrugated fibre cement sheeting. The building will be 8m to the ridge and 3.2m to the underside of the eaves.
| Application No.: | 12/01594/B |
| Applicant: | Ballacutchel Farms Ltd |
| Proposal: | Erection of two cattle shelters and two silage pits with associated hard standing and surface water drainage |
| Site Address: | Field 310651 |
| Bwoaillieecowle Farm | |
| Staarvey Road | |
| Peel | |
| Isle Of Man |
2.3 The silage storage areas will be formed in 1.5m high concrete walls and will be 20m long and 24.5m wide. The barns will be set slightly lower (0.53m) than the existing barn to the east.
2.4 The applicant has provided further information to explain how this part of the overall holding contributes to the operation of the overall farm which is spread over three areas – Corvalley at the Braaid, Ballacutchel near Mount Murray and this site. They explain that the stock is rotated on an annual basis: breeding cattle are currently wintered outside at The Vaaish where they receive supplementary feed over the winter. They cannot currently be wintered inside as there is no space available at that site. When the cows have calved they are moved to Ballacutchel and Corvalley where they stay all summer which allows the calves to be at heel on fresh pasture throughout the summer season. Store cattle which has been wintered at The Vaaish in the available space go outside in the Spring. Towards the end of the summer when the growth of the grass reduces the calves continue their growth inside the shed at Corvalley and the cows go back to The Vaaish to winter whilst again in calf.
2.5 It is the last group of cows which the new buildings are intended to accommodate. This movement of cattle between the three sites allows the grass to recover and to allow areas where access is most difficult to be vacated during the winter. Additional indoor wintering space is important for animal welfare as the ground can become muddy and the weather cold and wet. In recent years they have experienced the death of 22 cows and calves, from exposure to particularly severe weather, close to where the proposed units would be located.
2.6 The application includes a submission from the Isle of Man Fat Stock Marketing Association which supports the application which will result in more beef cattle being processed through the Island's meat plant rather than being shipped live from the Island for further finishing.
3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Order 1982 as High Landscape Value and Scenic Significance.
3.2 A public footpath runs to the north and east of the site, almost on the boundary of the northern part of the development area.
3.3 As such, there is a presumption against development set out in General Policy 3 of the Strategic Plan. There is provision within this, however, for the erection of buildings required for agriculture and further advice provided in this respect in Environment Policy 15:
General Policy 3: Development will not be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development on the appropriate Area Plan with the exception of:
f) building and engineering operations which are essential for the conduct of agriculture or forestry."
Environment Policy 15 states "Where the Department is satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building (including a dwelling), sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside, and that the impact of this development including buildings, accesses, servicing etc. is acceptable, such development must be sited as close as is practically possible to existing building groups and be appropriate in terms of scale, materials, colour, siting and form to ensure that all new developments are sympathetic to the landscape and built environment of which they form a part.
Only in exceptional circumstances will buildings be permitted in exposed or isolated areas or close to public highways and in all such cases will be subject to appropriate landscaping. The
nature and materials of construction must also be appropriate to the purposes for which is it intended.
Where new agricultural buildings are proposed next to or close to existing residential properties care must be taken to ensure that there is no unacceptable adverse impact through any activity, although it must be borne in mind that many farming activities require buildings which are best sited, in landscape terms, close to existing building groups in the rural landscape".
4.1 The following applications have been submitted in respect of this site:
PA 12/00306/B - Alteration and conversion of existing cottage to a dwelling Status - Permitted - 23rd May 2012
PA 11/01363/B - Creation of field access tracks Status - Permitted - 22nd December 2011
PA 11/00927/B - Extension to existing agricultural shed with hard-standing Application Withdrawn - 2nd March 2012
PA 11/00753/B - Alteration and conversion of existing cottage to a dwelling Status - Refused - 22nd July 2011
PA 04/01472/B - Erection of an agricultural shed and creation of an access road onto Staarvey Road Status - Permitted on Review - 16th March 2005
PA 03/01318/B - Erection of a farm dwelling, agricultural shed and access road to replace former dwelling and outbuildings Status - Refused on Review 7th May, 2004
PA 00/01723/A - Approval in principle for reinstatement of former dwelling and outbuildings Status - Refused on Review
5.1 German Parish Commissioners indicate that they do not oppose the application.
5.2 Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Wildlife Division advise that whilst the area has previously been identified as of interest, this particular field is not particularly interesting although may have some potential for lizard and frog habitat and as such the applicant should perform a check of the site before works commence to ensure that any protected species are removed from the site to safety and that their habitats are protected.
5.3 Manx National Heritage make the same comments as Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, reiterating comments made in the planning statement to protect existing habitat.
6.1 The proposed buildings will be sited alongside an existing agricultural building which is in accordance with the guidance in the Strategic Plan, rather than having isolated structures which could undermining the character of the Manx countryside. In addition, the location of the existing and proposed buildings below the level of the road assists in the mitigation of visual impact of the new structures from this view, although the buildings will be clearly visible from the public footpath which runs around the periphery of the site. Bearing in mind
the existing visual impact it is not considered that the proposed additional buildings and structures will result in such an additional impact as to warrant refusal of the application for that reason.
6.2 Animal welfare is important and if animals are to be wintered here it is important that there are appropriate facilities to accommodate them. This part of the Island is particularly susceptible to snow and can be inaccessible in severe weather which makes the need for indoor facilities more pressing.
6.3 The site clearly forms part of a rotation arrangement where the animals are moved from site to site throughout the year, allowing the sites to recover. Whilst it is noted that the Agricultural Adviser suggests that "the proposed buildings at Bwoailliecowlie are likely to be excessive for the unit should it every be operated in isolation from the other units", the buildings are unlikely to be useful for any other purpose bearing in mind their design, position and particularly the access to the site.
6.4 The evidence from the Isle of Man Fat Stock would indicate that the operation is important for local beef production and the information from the Agricultural Adviser concludes that the buildings are justified in agricultural terms and as such, whilst the justification comes from the aggregation of three different sites rather than one large unit, it is no more likely that parts of the holding will cease to be associated with the remainder, than if in the case of one large holding, parts of it could be sold off. As such, it is considered that the proposal complies with the provisions of GP 3 and EP 15 and is recommended for approval.
7.1 The local authority, German 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.
7.2 Manx National Heritage and Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture are both statutory authorities who raise material planning considerations and as such should be afforded party status.
Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of Recommendation: 20.05.2013
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
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 erection of two agricultural buildings and silage pits and associated drainage all as shown in drawings P01A, P02 and P03 all received on 30th November, 2013.
C 3. shreking dark or olive be green All external finishes of the proposed buildings shall match in colour those on the adjacent existing building.
C 4. cndsite The buildings shall be used only for agricultural purposes.
C 5. Prior to the commencement of any works, including excavation, the applicant must have undertaken by a suitably qualified body and approved by the Planning Authority, a survey of the site for lizards and frogs together with recommendations for protection or mitigation of any species or habitats found. The development must thereafter be undertaken in accordance with the approved protection/mitigation scheme.
C 6. The proposed buildings must be fitted with open protected roof ridges to provide suitable ventilation for livestock and the silage pits provided with a non permeable base to prevent contamination of the adjacent water course.
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
Decision Made: A Committee Meeting Date: 29-5-13
Signed: Sponaratt Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason is required. Signing Officer to delete as appropriate ☑ YES / ☐ NO
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal
