Additional use of the premises for pharmaceutical retail (Class 1.1) and associated health services (Class 4.1)

Why Was This Refused?

• ✓Site is zoned for industrial use, not retail
• ✓No justification provided for why retail could not be located in a town centre or local centre
• ✓Proposal considered harmful to town centre vitality and viability
• ✓Refused by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture at committee

This application sought permission to add pharmaceutical retail and associated health services as additional uses at BMS House, within Balthane Industrial Estate in Ballasalla. The site is an established industrial area on the Isle of Man. The application was refused in February 2024. The deciding body found that the industrial zoning of the area meant the applicant needed to show why the retail floorspace could not be accommodated in a town centre or local centre location. No such justification was provided. The refusal was based on the proposal's conflict with Isle of Man Strategic Plan policies designed to direct retail and commercial development to town centres, in order to maintain their vitality and viability.

The application was refused because the site sits within an industrial zone, and the applicant did not demonstrate why the proposed retail use could not be located in a town centre or local centre instead. Allowing retail at this out-of-centre location was considered contrary to Isle of Man Strategic Plan policies aimed at protecting the vitality and viability of town centres.

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