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5th September 2006
The Secretary to the Planning Committee Planning Department Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas
Dear Sirs
Ref: Planning Statement Planning in Principle for the Demolition of Existing Dwelling and Agricultural Building & Construction of Replacement Dwelling and Conversion of Existing Barns to Living Accommodation at Ballacaroon Farm Mount Rule Braddan
This correspondence should be considered a Planning Statement is in support of the above application and should be read in conjunction with Construction Design Ltd drawing no.'s 511/001 & 511/002, photographs, Structural Engineers report and the details contained within the Planning Application form.
It is hoped that the additional information provided within the statement will pre-empt any queries and allay any concerns that interested parties to the application may have.
The Site:
The site of the proposed works is located in Mount Rule and is within the Parish of Braddan. The site is bounded to the north by the public road, to the south by a horticultural unit, to the east by an unmade lane leading to the horticultural unit and to the west by Mount Rule Equestrian Centre.
The existing buildings on the site consist of a vacant 2-storey dwelling, a redundant 2-storey over basement stone constructed barn and a large steel framed agricultural building.
The site area is in the region of 16800 sq.m. (4.1 acres). The use of the dwellings and outbuildings for agricultural purposes has lapsed. The southern portion of the site has until recently been used as an inert waste landfill site.
Planning History:
The site has been the subject of several planning application in the recent past. These applications include 89/4005, 91/1070, 91/40298, 95/0641, 98/1235, 00/1102 and 04/466.
A practice Member of the British Institute of Architectural Technologists Registered Office: 14 Tynwald Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1BG Managing Director: B. Murphy MBIAT, ACIOB, MFB. Director: E Corkish Company Reg. No. 098010C VAT Reg. No. 002 3028 48
The planning approvals that are relevant to this application are:
Planning In Principle application no. 91/4029 – Approved 1st May 1992: Demolition of Existing Dwelling and Construction of Replacement dwelling.
Planning In Principle application no. 98/1235 – Approved 24th November 1998: Demolition of Existing Dwelling and Construction of Replacement dwelling.
Detailed Planning application no. 00/1102 – Approved 9th March 2001: Creation of Landfill site for inert building waste.
Detailed Planning application no. 04/0466 – Approved 30th June 2004: Amendments to approval Creation of Landfill site for inert building waste.
The Site, Ballacaroon Farm, is referred to in the Braddan Parish Plan Modified written statement Feb 2003 paragraph 4.174, which states:
This site is considered suitable for residential development where such development complies with the following:
This Planning in Principle application includes the following proposed works:
☐ Demolition of the existing roadside 2-storey vacant dwelling with a gross floor area of 225 sq.m.
☐ Demolition of a redundant steel framed Agricultural Farm Building with a gross floor area of 220 sq.m.
☐ Construction of replacement dwelling which is to be designed in the spirit of the guidance given in Planning Circular 3/91 “Guide to the design of residential development in the countryside” particularly the guidance given in respect of larger houses standing in its own grounds and the contents of policy 8 of the document.
☐ The renovation and conversion of the existing 2-storey over basement traditional stone barn into addition guest accommodation. A copy of a Structural Engineers report substantiating the retention of this barn is attached to and forms part of this application.
☐ Demolition of existing single storey rear annex to stone barns and replacement with single storey garage / stable courtyard. The existing structure is deemed unworthy of renovation.
☐ Improvements to existing entrance. The proposed entrance is located in the same position as the existing access and immediately adjacent to the existing dwelling which to be demolished. The demolition of this dwelling allows for the improvement of visibility from the entrance.
☐ The proposed incorporates the construction of a new boundary wall, which is splayed at the entrance and is set back from the road edge by some 4m creating a new grass verge.
☐ The scheme allows for extensive landscaping and tree planting to screen and create a sense of privacy from the public road. New Manx hedges will be created on the east boundary to the site adjacent to the existing lane. The existing Manx hedges to the south and west boundary will be improved and managed to ensure longevity.
The proposed and existing entrance to the site is positioned centrally on the roadside boundary of the site. The national speed limit applies to this section of roadway, which would require a visibility from the entrance of 295 metres in either direction. Due to the rural nature of the roadway this standard cannot be complied with. However, we are confident that the entrance as proposed is justified for the following reasons:
☐ The proposed entrance is located in the same position as the existing entrance. The existing entrance historically served the farm with all associated slow moving traffic.
☐ The demolition of the existing dwelling improves not only visibility from the entrance but also removes a “blind” corner for road users.
☐ The construction of the splayed entrance, set back boundary wall and creation of 4 m wide grass verge improves visibility from the entrance but also for other road users.
☐ Whilst the entrance is located on a public road to which the national speed limit applies it is located just some 50 metres from an area of 30 mph restricted speed limit. The close proximity of this restricted area should ensure that traffic approaching from the east will not have reached high speeds and that local traffic aware of the speed restriction will approach at reducing speed at the entrance to the site.
☐ Planning approval no. 00/1102 was permitted for an inert landfill site. The entrance to the landfill was via the lane on the east boundary. This use permitted access to the site of heavy goods vehicles to deposit 35,000 cubic meters of waste amounting to 3500 heavy vehicle movements. During peak operations there were up to 20 heavy goods vehicles accessing the site daily. If this application for a dwelling were to be approved the number and scale of vehicle movements would be insignificant in comparison that previously approved.
☐ The Department of Transport should consider extending the 30 mph restriction to a point past and including the entrances to not only this site but also including the entrance to Mount Rule Equestrian Centre.
We believe that every effort has been made to ensure that the entrance as proposed has been designed to ensure safe access to and egress from the site and will improve road safety as a whole in the area.
It is proposed that Foul Water drainage will discharge to a septic tank and percolation area. Percolation testing will be undertaken at Building Regulation application stage. Should percolation be found to be insufficient it would be possible for the foul drainage to discharge into a domestic treatment unit and into the water course on the southern boundary of the site.
It is proposed that Surface water will discharge into soakaways located within the site.
The renovation of the barns has been highlighted in the Braddan Plan as been of significant importance to the development of the site. A copy of a Structural Engineers report substantiating the retention of this barn is attached to and forms part of this application. The applicant is anxious to retain the barn to maintain the rural character for the site. The barn will be renovated so as to maintain its original appearance in accordance with Planning Circular 3/89.
It is proposed that the replacement dwelling will be designed and constructed with traditional materials so as to give the appearance of a traditional large Manx farmhouse.
The dwelling will be designed in the spirit of the guidance given in Planning Circular 3/91 "Guide to the design of residential development in the countryside" particularly the guidance given in respect of larger houses standing in its own grounds and the contents of policy 8 of the document.
The applicant will liaise fully with the Planning Department on the design of the dwelling at Reserved Matters application stage.
The Braddan Plan states, "Development proposals may include the redevelopment and the relocation of the existing farmhouse but not without the boundaries of the site defined on the plan". The location of the proposed replacement dwelling lies outside the line of the site boundary defined on the Braddan Plan.
In this application the location of replacement dwelling can be justified for the following reasons:
☐ The dwelling is to be located so as to provide sufficient space to allow for a comprehensive landscaping and tree-planting scheme at the periphery of the site as suggested in the Braddan Plan.
☐ The dwelling is to be located so as to be behind a building line dictated by the approval for the construction of the large Equestrian Centre building immediately adjacent to the site.
☐ The size of the dwelling demands a reasonable separation distance between the dwelling and the public road.
☐ The location of the dwelling will not impact on the neighbouring properties or the rural landscape.
This proposal allows for the improvement of a redundant and neglected site in the rural landscape. The rural character will be enhanced by the renovation of the barns and the traditional design for the new dwelling. Road safety will not be compromised but will benefit by the improving of visibility on the public road.
The ambition of the Isle of Man Government is to attract wealthy people to the Island with the introduction of taxation benefits. However it is well recognised that this policy is flawed due to the lack of suitability-sized dwellings on the Island. There is, in this application, an opportunity to provide such a dwelling without the need to encroach into green-field sites in the countryside.
We trust the Planning Committee will see fit to approve the application. Yours Sincerely
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