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Glebe Farm St Marks Isle of Man
Tel: 432123
2003-03-20
Isle of Man Government Planning Dept Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Isle of Man
Dear Sirs,
I write to ask you to consider an application for the conversion of a brick built outbuilding into a dwelling with or without an agricultural tie on the site of Glebe Farm, and in so doing, have set out the circumstances of the proposal below.
My partner, Roger Alcock, and I bought Glebe Farm in 1997, a property consisting of a Farm House, a disused barn and approx 60 acres of land. Roger and I determined that the Farm House was too big for our needs and therefore applied for, and received permission, to change the purpose of the Barn from holiday accommodation into a residential property. The Farm House was sold in July 2002, at which time we took up residence in the Barn.
Upon acquiring Glebe Farm, we established a Livery Yard business, which I have run and developed over the past 4 years. The Livery Yard has two American Barns which house 10 stables each, a 40m x 60m outdoor ménage and other equestrian facilities. Planning permission has recently been granted to erect an Indoor arena, which will be built on part of the existing ménage area. Work will commence on this in July 2003.
Regrettably, and without warning, Roger decided to end our relationship in October of last year. As the Livery Yard is my livelihood and a well established business which I wish to continue to develop, we have since agreed that our assets would be divided as follows: The Barn together with the area of land marked on the attached drawing will be conveyed to Roger, and the rest of the Farm, essentially the outbuilding, the Livery Yard and land, will be conveyed to me. Our advocates and the Registry are currently dealing with this re-drawing of the property boundaries.
Unfortunately, there was no other means of settlement, which would enable me to retain the business, which I have worked extremely hard to build. Once the property has been conveyed in this manner, I will have to vacate the house. Whilst I would ideally have liked to purchase the Barn from Roger, the cost of doing so is beyond my means, as I have already had to purchase the outbuilding by separate negotiation.
The business currently provides a livery service to 17 clients, with 23 horses between them. The business has a very sound footing, with 12 of the 17 clients having been there since the outset. In addition, to the Livery business, I also run a breeding programme, which currently involves 3 horses in foal, and 4 youngsters of various ages. This programme will be built on steadily each year.
A formal contract is held with each of the Livery Yard clients. The nature of the business necessitates, and the contract with my clients includes, the provision of 24 hr supervision, whereby there is always someone on the premises in case of emergency. As with any agricultural business involving animals, it is a serious consideration that without living on the premises, should something go wrong that commands on-site attendance, the whole viability of the business would be threatened. I'm sure that anyone involved with animals knows that they typically only go wrong or missing at weekends and in the dead of the night!
There is also a matter of security as not only are the horses valuable but there is a considerable amount of equipment kept on the premises (estimated at $£ 20,000$ ). As mentioned the business, which has a first class reputation, has been established for 4 years and has grown steadily in this time. I currently employ one member of staff, but hope to take on further staff as the breeding programme develops and to meet an increasing demand for 'full livery'.
The current turnover is approximately $£ 40,000$ per annum, and almost all of the revenue generated from the business to date has been re-invested to improve or add further facilities. The new facility, once complete, of an Indoor School will greatly enhance the ability of my clients to train, use and enjoy their horses, irrespective of the weather conditions. At the same time, this will generate further income to support the business.
I trust that the Planning Committee will appreciate the level of my commitment to the business, and the desire to provide a first rate service to my clients. Equestrianism is a sport and healthy recreational activity with a wide spread appeal and is enjoyed by a great many Island residents, and one which is very much in keeping with the Island's 'countryside' appeal.
I believe that the challenges and elements of running and managing the business are akin to that of the average agricultural livestock farm. The issues that arise with the care and breeding of horses are often the same as any other form of livestock. The continuity of the business therefore, in its current form would be entirely dependent upon my being able to live on site or very close by (i.e. within a few minutes walking
distance). Unfortunately, without a dwelling on the Livery Yard itself, this would appear impossible to achieve. None of the surrounding properties currently for sale are within my financial reach in the current climate.
I am therefore submitting an application to convert the existing single storey outbuilding into a modest residential property with an agricultural tie (if necessary) to form a permanent part of the Farm, and for the specific purpose of enabling me to live on site.
I wish to emphasise the genuine reasons for this application and would ask the Committee to consider these unusual circumstances in reviewing the proposal. I would be more than happy to supply any further information, which may be of assistance.
Yours faithfully,
Miss Joanne Cotton
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