Officer Report

Application No.: 25/90978/B Applicant: Mr Dennis Robert Keith Howden Proposal: Replacement of existing timber boundary fence with block wall Site Address: 2 Campion Crescent Reayrt Ny Keylley Peel Isle Of Man IM5 1GE Senior Planning Officer: Mrs Louise Phillips Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 17.12.2025 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

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.

• C 2. Notwithstanding the details shown on the approved plans, the wall hereby approved shall follow the same alignment as the fence it shall replace. Reason: To ensure clear visibility for road users in the interests of highway safety.
• C 3. The materials to be used in the construction and finishing of the wall hereby approved shall be as shown on the approved plans unless alternatives are first submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. The wall shall be constructed in accordance with the approved details. Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the area.
• C 4. The landscaping described in the applicant's letter dated 10 December 2025 consisting of a small hedge and decorative slate shall be completed during the first planting or seeding season following the completion of the development. Any plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased must be replaced in the next planting season with others of a similar size and species.

Reason: The landscaping of the development is an integral part of the scheme and must be implemented as approved in the interests of the character and appearance of the area.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The proposed wall would be in keeping with similar boundary treatments on the estate and, with the landscaping proposed, it would not cause harm to the character and appearance of the area. The wall would be the same height as the existing fence upon the site and it would follow the same alignment. Consequently, there would be no impact in respect of visibility or highway safety. Overall the proposed development would comply with relevant Development Plan policy.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following drawings, all date stamped 17 October 2025:

• o Location Plan
• o Site Plan
• o Section; Elevation; and Plan
• o Elevation 1, 2 & 3; Plan; and Section

_________________________________________________________________ Right to Appeal It is recommended that the following organisations should NOT be given the Right to Appeal: o Highways Services, DoI: No objection subject to conditions which have been applied.

_________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site is the curtilage of a two-storey detached house which occupies a corner plot at the junction of Campion Crescent, Fuchsia Close and Clover Avenue in Peel. The junction consists of a small roundabout. The property is part of an estate of similar houses constructed as a result of planning permission 05/92153/B.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposed development is the construction of a 1.8m wall, principally along the Fuchsia Close boundary of the site and returning towards the front of the house facing Campion Crescent. The wall would be constructed in concrete and finished in painted render. Its length would be broken up by eight piers with pointed caps. - 2.2 The wall would replace an existing 1.8m fence and hedge along the roadside and the applicant has confirmed that the wall would follow the same line. An existing low-level box hedge would be replaced between the wall and the footway, along with decorative slate pieces to provide a weed barrier.

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. An area at risk of surface water flooding lies to the immediate north-east of the site, but the site itself is not at risk. Peel Local Plan 1989

3.2 The site is within a predominantly residential area. Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 - 3.3 Strategic Policy 3 requires development to have regard to local character. - 3.4 General Policy 2 - Provides various criteria for development management purposes, including those below which are relevant to this proposal. The development should:

• (b) respect the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;
• (c) not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (g) not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; and (i) not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways.

4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS - 4.1 Residential Design Guide, Section 6.1 Boundary Treatments.

- 5.0 PLANNING HISTORY

5.1 05/92153/B: Residential development comprising 173 dwellings (including elderly persons housing), roads, sewers, landscaping and public open space and woodland. Permitted. - 5.2 09/00731/C: Change of use of strip of land from amenity space to residential curtilage and reposition existing fence. Permitted on appeal. - 5.3 The remaining planning history for the site concerns the development of the wider estate and is not specifically relevant to the present proposal.

- 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS

6.1 Highways Services (31/10/25): "…no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking providing the wall is positioned on the same alignment of the existing fence line (for protecting existing visibility splays) - this should be confirmed by the Applicant before permission is granted". - 6.2 The following organisations were consulted on 27/10/25 but, at the time this report was drafted, no comments had been received:

• o Manx Utilities Authority, Electricity;
• o Peel Town Commissioners; and
• o Forestry, Amenity & Lands (DEFA).

- 7.0 ASSESSMENT

7.1 The main issues are the effect of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the area; and upon highway safety. - 7.2 The estate of which the application site forms a part has a green and open feel given by the presence of several grassed areas around junctions and by the majority of front gardens being open and containing some landscaping. The majority of the houses which have rear gardens adjoining the highway do, however, have taller boundary treatments like the existing fence and hedge at the application site. - 7.3 The hedge along the Fuchsia Road boundary of the site does contribute to the green character of the area but, were it to be lost, the proposed wall would likely have a more

• pleasing appearance than a bare fence. Moreover, on the same estate just to the east, the properties around another roundabout junction already have boundary walls similar to the one now proposed.
• 7.4 Consequently the proposed wall is in keeping with the boundary treatments in the wider area and it would not look out of place. The applicant has agreed to replace some existing landscaping adjacent to the footway and this could be secured by condition. The landscaping would soften the appearance of the wall and ensure that it would not detract significantly from the green character of the area. Thus the proposed development would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the area and it would comply with Strategic Policy 3 and General Policy 2(b), (c) and (g) of the Strategic Plan. Highway Safety
• 7.5 The Residential Design Guide discourages boundary treatments exceeding 1m in height where they would front a highway, but the proposed wall would be no taller than either the fence already in place upon the site or the roadside walls further to the east. Highways Services has raised no concerns in respect of visibility provided that the wall would be constructed along the same line as the existing fence. This alignment could be secured by conditions and then the proposed development would not be detrimental to highway safety. It would therefore comply with General Policy 2(i) of the Strategic Plan. Other Issues
• 7.6 Given that the proposed wall would be on the roadside boundary, away from neighbouring properties, it would not have any significant impact upon the living conditions of nearby occupiers. There are no other issues of concern.

- 8.0 CONCLUSION

8.1 The proposed wall would be in keeping with similar boundary treatments on the wider estate and, with the landscaping proposed, it would not cause harm to the character and appearance of the area. The wall would be the same height as the existing fence upon the site and it would follow the same alignment. Consequently there would be no impact in respect of visibility or highway safety. The proposed development would therefore comply with relevant Development Plan policy and it 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:

• o applicant (in all cases);
• o a Local Authority; Government Department; Manx Utilities; and Manx National Heritage that submit a relevant objection; and
• o any other person who has made an objection that meets specified criteria.

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):

• o any appellant or potential appellant (which includes the applicant);
• o the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, the Department of Infrastructure and the local authority for the area;

• o any other person who has submitted written representations (this can include other Government Departments and Local Authorities); and
• o in the case of a petition, a single representative.

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: 18.12.2025 Determining Officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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