DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 23/00721/B Applicant: Mr & Mrs Sid & Ruth Caine Proposal: Conversion of garage/store area into living space with glazed lantern over, replacing of roof and spar dash with new finishes, alterations and additions to windows/doors, removal of chimney stacks, demolition of single garage and installation of ASHP and solar panels and extension of residential curtilage (retrospective) into part of field 335204 Site Address: Greenlands Barnell Lane Patrick Village Isle Of Man IM5 3AN Planning Officer: Miss Lucy Kinrade Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 18.01.2024

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.

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.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The works to the main dwelling are considered to have an acceptable visual and amenity impact on the existing dwelling, neighbours and surrounding area, and the extension to the curtilage in this specific case is not considered to result in any unacceptable loss of agricultural land or to result in any adverse harm to the countryside. The proposal is considered to accord with Environment Policies 1 and 2, General Policy 2 and Housing Policy 16 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following information;

• o DWG 22 1659 02
• o DWG 22 1659 03
• o DWG 22 1659 04 Rev B

• o DWG 22 1659 05 Rev B
• o ASHP Spec brochure
• o 10 x site photographs
• o Previous scheme DWG 22 1659 04
• o Previous scheme DWG 22 1659 05

• All date received 30/06/2023

• o Site Plan 1:500
• o Location Plan 1:5000
• o Supporting Statement

• All date received 28/11/2023 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THE APPLICATION IS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE AS THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE MAY BE CONSIDERED CONTRARY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 2(1)(c) PLANNING COMMITTEE STANDING ORDERS.

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site relates existing dwelling, Greenlands, which lies on the western side of Barnell Lane, running south of Patrick Road and nearest the western end closest to Patrick Village. The house is a bungalow with part hipped and part gable ended roof finished in concrete tiles. Attached to the gable end is a flat roofed double garage and attached to that another single garage.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed are a number of works to the existing dwelling only including the demolition of the single garage, the conversion of the double garage into living space to be used by the main house including the replacement of the flat roof with new and the installation of a roof lantern above, a number of window and door changes across the front, side and rear elevations, the removal of the two chimney stacks and the installation of an air source heat pump. - 2.2 Also proposed is the extension of the residential curtilage to include the small paddock on the northern end.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The dwelling has been subject to two previous approvals for conversion and extension works under 22/00903/B and 16/00298/B and both schemes bigger than the works sought now. 18/01271/B was also approved for a replacement dwelling. As part of all of these applications the red line for the site surrounded the dwelling and its garden only and the paddock was not outlined at all. As part of a much earlier 2016 application the house and garden were again outlined in red but the paddock (part of field 330215) was also shown outlined in blue.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Order) 1982 as not for a particular purpose and of high landscape value and scenic significance. The site is not within a Conservation Area or at any flood risk from surface water flooding.

4.2 The following policies from the 2016 Strategic Plan are considered relevant in the assessment of this application;

• o Strategic Policies 3 and 5 - promotes good development
• o Spatial Policy 5 - Building in defined settlements or in line with GP3
• o General Policy 2 - General development considerations and standards
• o General Policy 3 - Exceptions to development in the countryside
• o Housing Policy 16 - Extensions to non-traditional styled properties in the countryside
• o Environment Policy 1 - Protection of the countryside
• o Environment Policy 2 - Protection of the character of AHLV
• o Environment Policy 14 - High quality agricultural land protected from loss

4.3 Also relevant in the assessment is the Residential Design Guide (2021) which provides detailed advice including sustainable development and climate change resilience, design of new houses and extensions to existing residential properties as well as how to assess the impact of such development on the living conditions of those in adjacent residential properties and sustainable methods of construction.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the Government's website. This report contains summaries only. - 5.1 Patrick Commissioners - no objections (12/12/2023). - 5.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services - Do not oppose (07/07/2023 and 29/11/2023) - After reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. The Applicant is advised to consider installing cycle parking at one space per bedroom in an enclosed and secure storage facility to aid Active Travel and an electric vehicle charging point to aid net zero objectives. - 5.3 No comments received from neighbouring properties.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 There are two key considerations in the assessment of the application, i) the physical works to the existing dwelling in terms of visual and amenity impact, and ii) whether the extension to the curtilage is acceptable having regard to those policies seeking to protect the countryside from harm. i) Works to Dwelling - 6.2 The dwelling was recently subject to PA 22/00903/B which was approved for extension and alterations works greater than those sought now, this application remains valid and within its 4 year approval period. The principle for development still remains acceptable now and although a modified scheme it is a reduced scheme in comparison to 2022 and does not result in any increased adverse visual impacts on the property from a public perspective, the dwelling is already non-traditional and the works would remain as non-traditional, the level of development proposed would not be overbearing to the existing dwelling and given the distance and relationship with the neighbours the proposals would not adversely impact on their amenities. Overall being a reduced scheme from 2022 the proposals are also considered to have an acceptable impact on the general streetscene too. The proposal is considered to be acceptable and in line with HP16 and the general standards of GP2 in this respect and not to adversely impact the countryside or the rural landscape in line with EP1 and EP2. Extension to Curtilage - 6.3 It is clear from planning history in 2016 that the paddock had been under ownership of the main dwelling and recognised as not forming part of the established curtilage (outlined in blue in 2016 application). At some stage between 2016 and 2018 the boundary that separated

• the garden from the paddock was removed and aerial images reinforce these changes and more recent images showing the paddock being cut and mown along with the garden as one area.
• 6.4 Policies of the Strategic Plan 2016 indicate that the countryside should to be protected for its own sake from unwarranted and harmful development. The engulfing of the paddock which was once part of field 330215 may be considered to undermine those overarching aims of Environment Policy 1 and Environment Policy 14 in preventing high quality agricultural land being lost, however it's clear that this parcel of paddock land has been separated from the larger agricultural field for a considerable time, and this paddock associated with the occupation of Greenlands. The size and scale of the parcel/paddock perhaps does not lend itself to high volume or significant agricultural use by Greenlands themselves, and while it could be sold back to the owners of field 330215, the chances of sale are perhaps slim given the ownership history since early 2006's and its association with Greenlands.
• 6.5 There is always risk that in accepting these types of extensions to curtilages in the countryside that they will start a proliferation of similar proposals, however in this case, the relationship, size and scale of the small parcel paddock marrying that of the depth of the existing curtilage, minded that there is no further land ownership by the applicants here and so the extent terminates at the end of the paddock, coupled with the information provided by the applicant and crossed with aerial images showing how the site has evolved in this case and in recognising that the scale of the curtilage as proposed shown red on plan would not result in a level of development or size of curtilage which would be out of keeping or unreasonable given the size of the dwelling and taking into account the adjoining linear development along this side of Barnell Lane. On this exceptional basis the proposal to extend the curtilage to include the paddock is not considered to be unacceptable or to adversely harm the countryside in line with EP1 and is not expected to set a precedent for other proposals which would need to be assessed on their own merits.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 For the above reasons, it is considered that the application accords with General Policy - 2, Environmental Policies 1and 2 and Housing Policy 16 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and is recommended for approval.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.

8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status.

I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to that body by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Committee has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.

Decision Made : Permitted Committee Meeting Date: 29.01.2024

Signed : L KINRADE Presenting Officer

Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).

Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below Customer note This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.