23 March 2009 · Committee
Field 314758, Main Road, St Johns, Isle Of Man, IM4 3lx
The proposal was for three detached dwellings with garages on Plots 2, 4 and 6 of a wider site at Fields 312909 and 314758, south and south-west of Balladoyne, St Johns. The site is separated from the A1 Peel Road to the north by intervening fields and Balladoyne Farm. The dwellings were designed with exposed oak posts and beams, rendered walls, slate roofs, and timber-framed windows, each with a large garden and off-street parking. The Planning Committee refused the application for three reasons. First, the proposed dwellings were considered excessive in height, making them overly prominent in the landscape as seen from Peel Road and causing adverse impact on views towards Slieau Whallian, contrary to policies RES/P/1 and OS/P/2 of the St Johns Local Plan. Second, the application provided no details of a temporary construction access, which was a specific requirement of the development brief.
The committee refused because the dwellings were too tall and would harm open countryside views from the A1 towards Slieau Whallian. The application also failed to show how construction traffic would access the site, breaching the development brief.
Refusal Reasons
Residential development shall be permitted within Development Area 1 in accordance with the following development brief
The application fails to provide details of a temporary access to serve construction vehicles and as such the proposed development would be contrary to the Development Brief for the site and POLICY:RES/P/1
No new development shall be permitted which would adversely affect the southerly open countryside views from Peel Road
The proposed dwellings would be excessive in height and would therefore be overly prominent in the landscape as viewed from Peel Road (A1) resulting in an adverse impact upon the views across the site towards Slieau Whallian contrary to the provisions of POLICY:RES/P/1 and POLICY:OS/P/2
Proposals for development must ensure that the individual character of our towns and villages is protected or enhanced
Within the Isle of Man Strategic Plan, the following policies are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application
Strategic Policy 3: Proposals for development must ensure that the individual character of our towns and villages is protected or enhanced by: (a) avoiding coalescence and maintaining adequate physical separation between settlements; and (b) having regard in the design of new development to th e use of local materials and character. 4.3.4 Most of our built heritage, our countryside, our coastline and our natural environment is of attraction, value and interest. Surveys commissioned by Government on the quality of life and the importance of heritage in the Isle of Man and internationally, have consistently shown that the historic landscape setting of the Isle of Man scores as t he single most significant factor for residents and visitors in supporting the concept of a specific and positive Manx identity. This "heritage identity" is a result of the combination of a rich diversity of historic sites and monuments, historic building s and residential settlements and a specific range of natural history attributes set within a predominantly rural landscape setting which links modern life to a sense of historic legacy and beauty, the retention of which is strongly supported by Government and the resident community. 4.3.5 The landscapes of the Island are very varied, and their nature and variety is the consequence of thousands of years of interaction between the natural and cultural aspects of the Island through human activity within the enviro nment and an innate respect for the natural and historic qualities they represent. 4.3.6 This landscape heritage is more than simply the sum of its parts. The combination of geology, geomorphology, wildlife, archaeology, history, traditional buildings and the natural settings for traditional activities and customs, combine in the rural and built environment to provide an inseparable element of "Manxness". It provides an overarching context which makes the landscapes of the Isle of Man unique and gives them the value which is acknowledged by those who live here and those who visit. The protection and promotion of this element within Manx society is an important element in central Government policy and the Strategic Plan, which both support the view that these v alued characteristics of the Isle of Man be acknowledged and protected for the future from inappropriate development. 4.3.7 This protection will apply to areas of heritage value, to sites of heritage value and to general traditional landscape settings within the Island which are deemed to contribute to the sense of the Island's heritage identity. Heritage landscape value will therefore be a consideration in all aspects of planning, with a view to retaining and enhancing this value wherever possible.
