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Application No.: 22/00716/B Applicant: Ballavell Farm Ltd Proposal: Erection of an agricultural building Site Address: Ballavell Farm Grenaby Road Ballasalla Isle Of Man IM9 3DP Senior Planning Officer: Mr Jason Singleton Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.07.2022
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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.
Reason: the countryside is protected from development and an exception is being made on the basis of agricultural need. As such the building must be used for the purposes for which it is approved.
Reason: The building has been exceptionally approved solely to meet agricultural need and its subsequent retention would result in an unwarranted intrusion in the countryside.
The proposal is considered to be acceptable in terms of the agricultural need satisfying General Policy 3, and the proposed buildings scale, materials, colour, siting and form would be in accordance with Environment Policy 1 and 15 of the Strategic Plan.
This decision relates to drawings submitted on 13 June 2022, referenced; Application information Labour Calculations Farmed Area Map Location Map Site Plan Structure Details
______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons
None _____________________________________________________________________________
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is referred to as Ballavell Farm, Grenaby Road, Ballasalla. The farm is characterised by a number of agricultural buildings clustered together and a detached farm dwellinghouse. Access to the dwellinghouse and the farm buildings is via a track that extends to 350m in length off the Grenaby Road. The collection of farm buildings all sit to the west of the Grenaby Road. - 1.2 The farm encompasses some 262 acres which is laid to grass for grazing livestock of which 70 acres is cultivated for cropping. The agricultural business is currently centred on 100 dairy cows with 180 young stock. The farm business has a labour requirement of 3.36 standard labour units. The farming business in noted as having a growing fodder enterprise, that supplies quality hay, straw and feed to small holders, equine and other farmers.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the erection of an agricultural building measuring a footprint of 38.4m x 13.72m with a height to the eaves of 4.87m and an overall height of 6.27m to the ridge. - 2.2 This building would be constructed from a steel 'portal' frame and enclosed on three sides with Green Plastisol steel profiled sheets with one side open with a 2.4m cantilever overhang to one side. - 2.3 The roof would be profiled grey fibre cement sheets and would feature 14 roof lights (7 per slope) for natural illuminance and the only opening are to the front (south) elevation facing the existing agricultural barns. - 2.4 The proposed building is intended for the storage of grain, hay, straw and machinery which will free up an existing storage building to allow for more cattle to be housed. - 2.5 The agent notes they; "have now outgrown the current storage facilities on farm… Equally as the dairy herd has grown, there are more young stock on farm and the housing of these animals is currently in leased buildings nearby. Relocating these animals to the home farm will improve time management, reduce the outgoings of rent, and also provide security of housing livestock for the future… The current primary storage building is located adjacent to the milking parlour and existing livestock housing, and it makes sense to keep livestock housing in one area of the farm to facilitate easy stock movement and manure management".
3.1 The site lies within an area zoned on the Area Plan for the South (2013) as 'white land' or land not zoned for development and therefore is not designated for any particular purpose. The collection of buildings and the trackway is identified on the map. - 3.2 On the landscape plan the site is noted as 'Incised Slopes' and in the written statement accompanying the plans the site is defined as;
" 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".
3.3 The site is not within a Conservation Area or within an area identified as flood risk. There are no defined registered trees or registered trees areas on the Govt maps. - 3.4 Within the adopted Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, the following policy are considered to be the pertinent relevant policy in the determination of this application:
4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 20/00252/B - Alterations and erection of single storey extension and garage to side elevation. 19/00436/B - Erection of agricultural barn 14/00504/B - Erection of an agricultural building 04/00522/B - Erection of an agricultural building 99/01117/B - Erection of agricultural building, - 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS
5.1 Malew Commissioners 06/07/22 commented with no objection - 5.2 Highways Services 01/07/22 commented with no objection
6.1 There aforementioned policies would indicate there is a general presumption against new development in the countryside, as indicated in Environment Policy 1 and General Policy 3 of the Strategic Plan. - 6.2 The starting point for any development within the countryside (i.e. not zoned for development) is therefore General Policy 3, paragraph F which allows exemption for agricultural buildings and Environment Policy 15, which requires, firstly the Planning Authority to be satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building, sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside. Then as part of EP15 further assessment to ensure the built form is appropriate in terms of size, scale material and colour with siting and form that is sympathetic to its surroundings without being detrimental to
6.5 Having considered the justification and its broad acceptance in principle, we turn to the siting of the building. Environment Policy 15 notes the proximity of the proposal should be sited as close the farmstead as possible and be appropriate in terms of scale, materials, colour, siting and form to ensure they are in keeping with their surroundings. - 6.6 In this case the proposal would be using a proven method of constructing such agricultural buildings using steel frame construction with 'plasitsol' green profiled sheets to clad the vertical elements and the roof pitches in grey fibre cement sheeting with grp roof lights would be seen to reflect the agricultural nature of the building and would be of similar appearance to the existing 'modern' farm buildings and not look out of place in the countryside. - 6.7 In terms of siting, the main farm buildings are all clustered together with the dwellinghouse to the south of the collection of buildings and the surrounding farm lands circling the 'farm yard' as noted on the land ownership plan submitted as part of this proposal. The location of the new building would be sited close to the existing group of farm buildings, albeit to the north of the existing buildings with the main farm road to the west interlinking all the farm buildings together. The proposed building would be suitable for its intended use in accordance with Ep15. Visual Impact on the countryside - 6.8 The siting of the proposed building as noted above would confirm the location is not one of open countryside but would be read within the context of an existing working farm to which planning policies support for the placement next to existing building groups and replacing an existing building. Given the remoteness from the highway, there would be very limited public views of the building and those achieve views would be read amongst other agricultural buildings of similar type, size and colour, if viewable from the highway. The addition of this proposed building and its use would confirm to the guidance given in EP15 where it would not be considered to have any detrimental impact upon the wider countryside (EP1) or would not be considered to harm the character and quality of the wider landscape designation in the APS. Impact on the residential amenity - 6.9 The later paragraph of Ep15 refers to the potential conflicts of siting of agricultural buildings near residential properties, which is further supported through EP22 that deals with statutory nuisances. Firstly, in considering the farm dwelling closest to the proposed building (Applicants Farm House) this would be approx. 50m away to the south but there are remaining
a number of existing farm buildings closer that the proposed. As such the proposal would not be eroding any amenity space of the dwelling and is close enough to allow the owners, who farm the land to be on hand where they would have responsibility for the welfare of the animals during the calving / milking periods and wider agricultural responsibilities.
7.1 The planning application has been designed to ensure its siting and appearance has no adverse impact on the character of this site and the wider countryside, or that of the neighbouring property, which has been recommended for approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 28.07.2022 Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management
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