DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 21/00087/B Applicant: Mr Ian David Comish Proposal: Construction of a detached home office cabin Site Address: Ballaglea Cottage Ballamodha Straight Ballamodha Ballasalla Isle Of Man IM9 3AZ Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.03.2021 _________________________________________________________________

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.

• C 2. Prior to the erection of the office, there must be approved by the Department a scheme of planting around the proposed building to reduce its visual impact from view from the surrounding public highway. The approved planting must be introduced no later than the first planting season following the erection of the building and maintained as such thereafter.

Reason: to ensure that the proposed development has an acceptable impact on the countryside in accordance with Environment Policy 1 of the Strategic Plan.

• C 3. The building hereby approved may be used only for purposes of a home office for the occupants of Ballaglea Cottage as defined in the submitted plans and where there are no staff working in the building who are not resident in the application site nor any clients visiting the premises. Alternatively the building may be used as a garden shed or summer house in association with the occupation of Ballaglea Cottage as a dwelling.

Reason: to ensure that there is no commercial use of the approved building which is not located in an area designated for such purposes.

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

Whilst the site is not designated for development, there are Permitted Development rights which could allow a building here which could have a similar visual impact. As there will be

additional planting, it is considered that the proposed building will not have any adverse visual impact on the landscape, thus complying with Environment Policy 1 of the Strategic Plan and the Area Plan for the South. The ability for the applicant to work from home will support the sustainable objectives of the Strategic Plan including reducing the need to travel especially by private car.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to drawings DC120121 Sheet 2C and DC120121 Sheet 1C both received on 2nd February, 2021. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AT THE REQUEST OF THE HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

THE SITE

1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of an existing dwelling which sits on the corner of the A3 and the Corlea Road (B30) at Solomon's Corner. The existing house is a traditional one at the core which has been extended alongside the Corlea Road with the vehicular entrance at this point as the road rises. Whilst the residential curtilage is relatively large, it does all appear contiguous with the house with no obvious separation and with all of the land surrounding the house managed and the grass mown with a domestic appearance and character. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a free standing building on the western side of the site alongside the stone wall boundary of the property. Immediately to the north is a gated entrance into the site. The boundary of the site with the road is formed by a low stone wall.

2.2 The detached building will have a footprint of 4m by 6m and a height of 2.9m. The ground is to be built up from its natural form by up to 60cm. - 2.3 No information was submitted with the application to explain the use of the building in relation to the main house and there is no internal pathway between the two. However, the applicant has since explained that he is a self-employed IT consultant and does not employ any staff. He works from home from a small upstairs bedroom at Ballaglea Cottage when not working at his clients' offices. Home working time has been much more extensive since the COVID restrictions were first introduced and he envisages this continuing as the norm in the future; most of his clients recognise the benefits to the worker and reduced environmental impact associated with travel to a central location etc. As of 5 weeks ago, he also now has a young family which makes home working in the family house more intrusive for all the family. He explains that very occasionally he may have a visiting client, but this is normally exceptional as he would nearly always visit them. - 2.4 He goes on to explain that the proposed home/office cabin will enable him to work from home without encroaching on the family environment and provide a quieter work area. The cabin use will be incidental to the use of the residential property and will double up as a summer house when not an office area. The cabin is going to be used in conjunction with the residential property and not separate to it. He advises that his work as an IT Consultant is a quiet and unobtrusive activity with very, very few visitors (historically averaging less than 1 per

• month). They do not have any neighbours within 170 metres of the property to be adversely affected by the development.
• 2.5 He notes that Ballaglea Cottage is built close to the road with a small flat area to the south of the property and a large grassed lawn to the rear, sloping easterly at a 1 in 10 gradient. The top of the grassed lawn levels out and is a much easier area to site the cabin avoiding having to incorporate numerous steps and balustrades. It also prevents the cabin splitting the lawn area into two separate spaces and offers better views to the south, unobstructed by the existing griselinia hedge. He did consider other locations at the property, but locating the cabin closer to the house would compromise many of these benefits. There will be a stepping stone path linking the cabin to the house. This will run parallel to the southerly hedge from the three steps shown east of the cabin on the site plan to the main paved area of the house. Travel from the cabin to the house will be by pedestrian access. The cabin has been designed to be unobtrusive with a low sloping flat roof, the use of natural wall materials and a blending colour scheme. It is also located over 9m away from the nearest road and passing traffic. It is backdropped from the south by mature plantation trees which avoids skyline intrusion and the road aspect is well concealed by mature sod hedges topped with gorse and small trees
• 2.6 He noted the potential concern that the cabin will be partially visible above the stone wall from Corlea Road coming from the west towards Ballamodha and would benefit from some natural shrub screening being planted between the wall and the cabin and can confirm that it would be acceptable for the department to include a planning condition to provide and maintain this screening if the application is approved.

PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South (2013) as not for a particular purpose and where there is a presumption against development as set out in Environment Policy 1 and General Policy 3 of the Strategic Plan and where the countryside is protected for its own sake.

3.2 The site lies at the meeting point of two Landscape Character Assessment Areas - the Southern Uplands (A2) and the Incised Slopes (D14) where the following advice is provided:

Southern Uplands (A2) The overall strategy for the area is to conserve and enhance the character, quality and distinctiveness of the open and exposed character of the moorland, its uninterrupted skyline and panoramic views, its sense of tranquillity and remoteness and its wealth of cultural heritage features. Key Views Open and expansive panoramic views out to sea and over the southern portion of the Island. Distant views in some areas enclosed by the surrounding peaks.

3.23 Implications of the Landscape Character Assessment Landscape Type: Uplands, Incised Slopes, Rugged Coast, Undulating Lowland Plain Landscape Area: A2 (Southern Uplands), D14 (Ballamodha, Earystane and St Mark's), E11 (Langness), F7 (Castletown and Ballasalla) and F8 (Poyll Vaaish and Scarlett Peninsula)

…iii. Protection of the tranquil, rural character of the area with its open views.

• iv. Sensitive location of new buildings and the use of screen planting.
• v. Avoidance of physical or visual amalgamation of roadside housing.

Ballamodha, Earystane and St Marks (D14) The overall strategy is to conserve and enhance the character, quality and distinctiveness of the area, with its wooded valley bottoms, its strong geometric field pattern delineated by Manx hedges, its numerous traditional buildings and its network of small roads and lanes. The strategy should also include the restoration of landscapes disturbed by former mining activities.

Key Views Distant views prevented at times by dense woodland in river valleys and by the cumulative screening effect of hedgerow trees, which tend to create wooded horizons. Open and panoramic views out to sea from the higher areas on the upper western parts of the area where there are few trees to interrupt views.

3.23 Implications of the Landscape Character Assessment Landscape Type: Uplands, Incised Slopes, Rugged Coast, Undulating Lowland Plain Landscape Area: A2 (Southern Uplands), D14 (Ballamodha, Earystane and St Mark's), E11 (Langness), F7 (Castletown and Ballasalla) and F8 (Poyll Vaaish and Scarlett Peninsula) …iii. Protection of the tranquil, rural character of the area with its open views.

• iv. Sensitive location of new buildings and the use of screen planting.
• v. Avoidance of physical or visual amalgamation of roadside housing.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 Planning approval was granted for alterations and extensions (01/02185/B) and permission refused for the principle of a new dwelling within the curtilage (05/92263/A). REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services advise that they have no highway interest (23.02.21). ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issues in this case are whether the erection of a structure here has an acceptable visual impact and whether the proposed use is acceptable within an area not designated for development. Visual impact

6.2 The cabin will be visible as one passes the site, which is a fleeting view and the top of the building will be visible on the approach to the junction from the west. From this direction the structure may appear as an unexpected feature in the landscape and the applicant's proposed planting would be helpful in this respect. As the site is part of the residential curtilage, it would be possible for the applicants to erect a shed under the provisions of the Permitted Development Order which could allow a structure up to 15 sq m and up to 2.8m in height without any requirement for planting or mitigation. On this basis it is considered that the proposal is acceptable. Proposed use - 6.3 It is important that the proposed use does not generally involve visiting clients or deliveries as these could change the character of the use of the property, particularly as it is likely that those other than the applicant would use the existing field entrance rather than going through the house entrance, thus leading to a functional separation of the office from the house. The current COVID situation has demonstrated that it can be beneficial and sustainable to work from home rather than travelling into the nearest settlement and where, if other members of the household are already based at home, this can also reduce overall heating and lighting costs and usage as well as enhancing family relationships where appropriate separation can be provided between work and family.

CONCLUSION

7.1 Whilst the site is not designated for development, there are Permitted Development rights which could allow a building here which could have a similar visual impact. As there will be additional planting, it is considered that the proposed building will not have any adverse visual impact on the landscape, thus complying with Environment Policy 1 of the Strategic Plan and the Area Plan for the South. The ability for the applicant to work from home will support the sustainable objectives of the Strategic Plan including reducing the need to travel especially by private car.

• 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 in Article 4(2) 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: 15.03.2021

Signed : S CORLETT 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

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