17 October 2008 · Delegated
The Mount, Mount Gawne Road, Port St. Mary, Isle Of Man, IM9 5lx
The application sought permission to install six solar panels on The Mount, a prominent dwelling between Mount Gawne Road and the A7 along Gansey Promenade. Three panels were to be placed on the front of the attached annex and three on its west-facing hip roof. Each panel measures 1.9 m by 2.4 m and 130 mm deep. The site sits within an area designated as Existing Predominantly Residential. The key planning issue was visual impact. The officer concluded that because the panels would be set back from public view and sited on a modern annex building, they would not cause a detrimental visual impact.
The application was permitted because the solar panels were considered unlikely to cause a detrimental visual impact, being set back from public view and located on a modern annex. The proposal was consistent with the Strategic Plan's support for renewable energy development.
Strategic Plan
supports the concept of renewable energy
r Ancient Monuments, Regi stered Buildings and in Conservation Areas, the Department will, when suitable opportunities arise, seek to have overhead Low Tension power lines located underground. 12.2.8 The Department is fully supportive of the need to secure greater energy efficien cy in new and existing development and has recently introduced additional energy efficiency requirements in the Building Regulations 2003. Energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources are covered in General Policy 2(m) of the Building Regulat ions. At the same time the Department recognizes that renewable energy sources can have adverse environmental impacts. The idea of a wind turbine Installation is currently being investigated and considered by the Manx Electricity Authority. Any feasible site is likely to be exposed and have considerable visual impact. There may also be other impacts such as noise. On a smaller scale, the popularity of domestic wind turbines has been increasing in recent years in response to rising energy prices and increasing awareness of climate change. Planning applications for domestic wind turbines are unlikely to require the submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment. The Department will assess any proposals for wind turbine installations by weighing the bene fits of using such renewable energy sources against the environmental impact arising in any particular site. It is likely that the visual impact would be less detrimental on a coastal site than on a rural or upland one. Accordingly:
