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Application No.: 25/90873/B Applicant: Brian Thomas John Taylor Proposal: Erection of greenhouse Site Address: 7 Grand Island Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 3UQ Senior Planning Officer: Mrs Louise Phillips Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 27.10.2025 _________________________________________________________________
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.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.
The proposed greenhouse would cause no harm to the character and appearance of the area and it would not be overshadowed by nearby trees to the extent that they would be at undue threat of excessive pruning or removal. Thus the proposal complies with the relevant policies of the Development Plan.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following documents:
Right to Appeal It is recommended that the following parties should NOT be given the Right to Appeal: o Ramsey Town Commissioners: No objection. _________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application relates to the rear garden of No 7 Grand Island, which backs onto and is visible from Vollan Crescent, leading to Mooragh Promenade. There is a small area of flat garden close to the house, but the larger part slopes steeply downwards towards the road. - 1.2 The applicant has sought to make use of the sloping part of the garden by laying gravel paths and introducing a pergola and flower beds. There are also several large trees within the site (seven sycamores) and in the adjacent gardens.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposed development is a greenhouse with a pitched roof measuring approximately 3.8m long x 2.5m wide x 3.2m high. It would be sited at the bottom of the garden on an existing gravel path adjacent to the western boundary of the plot.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific - 3.1 The site is not within a Conservation Area and there are no Registered Buildings, Registered Trees or Registered Tree Areas in the vicinity. It is not at risk of flooding. Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 - 3.2 Strategic Policies 3(b) and 5 concern the protection of local character and the environment. - 3.3 General Policy 2 provides that development in accordance with land use zoning and other relevant proposals and policies of the Development Plan will normally be permitted subject to certain criteria, including those below which are relevant to this proposal. The development should:
4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS - 4.1 There are no other significant material considerations in this case.
5.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 5.1 The following permissions are relevant to the present proposal:
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 6.1 Forestry, Amenity & Lands (DEFA): Object (7/10/25).
"We have now had an opportunity to undertake a cursory desktop review and have the following comments:
6.2 Ramsey Town Commissioners: No objection (16/10/25). - 6.3 Highways Services was consulted on 26 September 2025, but had made no comments at the time this report was drafted.
7.0 ASSESSMENT - 7.1 The main issues are the effect of the proposed greenhouse upon the character and appearance of the area and upon nearby trees. - 7.2 The sloping gardens of the houses on the south side of Grand Island are clearly visible from Vollan Crescent and, while the one at the application site now has a more 'domestic' appearance than the others, it is to be expected that residents will want to make use of their outdoor space. The flat part of the garden at the top of the slope is quite small relative to the size of the property. - 7.3 In this context, the proposed greenhouse is modestly sized, set away from the boundary with the road, and represents a common feature in a garden setting. It would not cause harm to the character and appearance of the area and so it would comply with Strategic Policies 3(b) and 5 of the Strategic Plan and with General Policy 2(b), (c), (e) and (g). - 7.4 Turning to trees, the erection of the greenhouse itself would not cause damage to any trees - this has been confirmed by the Tree Officer. The concern is rather that there would be pressure to prune or even remove the trees because they would block light. However, the garden is south facing and the canopy is very high. At time of my visit (approximately 11.30am), the site for the proposed greenhouse was in full sunlight, demonstrating that it would get sun for parts of the day. Therefore, given that shade is also important for plants, the threat to the trees on grounds of shading is quite low and the proposal would not conflict with General Policy 2(f) of the Strategic Plan.
8.0 CONCLUSION - 8.1 For the reasons given above, the proposed greenhouse would cause no harm to the character and appearance of the area and it would not be overshadowed by nearby trees to the extent that they would be at undue threat of excessive pruning or removal. Thus the proposal complies with the relevant policies of the Development Plan and is recommended for approval accordingly.
9.0 RIGHT TO APPEAL AND RIGHT TO GIVE EVIDENCE - 9.1 The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 sets out the process for determining planning applications (including appeals). It sets out a Right to Appeal (i.e. to submit an appeal against a planning decision) and a Right to Give Evidence at Appeals (i.e. to participate in an appeal if one is submitted). - 9.2 Article A10 sets out that the right to appeal is available to:
9.3 Article 8(2)(a) requires that in determining an application, the Department must decide who has a right to appeal, in accordance with the criteria set out in article A10.
9.4 The Order automatically affords the Right to Give Evidence to the following (no determination is required):
9.5 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot be given the Right to Appeal.
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner 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 and/or rights to appeal.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 28.10.2025 Determining Officer
Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner
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