Officer Report

Application No.: 25/90962/B Applicant: Mr Matt Newing Proposal: Replacement of existing porch with patio and patio door to rear elevation, replacement of existing attached store rooms with patio and patio door to south elevation Site Address: The Gate House Grange Lodge Clypse Moar Road Onchan Isle Of Man IM4 5BG Principal Planner: Chris Balmer Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.12.2025 _________________________________________________________________

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.

N 1. Bat and their roost spaces are legally protected under the Wildlife Act 1990, and this includes protection from reckless action. Demolition of the porch and alterations of the building without suitable checks for bats would be considered reckless.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. Overall, it is considered the proposals would comply with HP15 and would not adversely affect the countryside and therefore comply with EP 1 and Planning Circular 3/91.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 31.10.2025.

_________________________________________________________________ Right to Appeal It is recommended that the following organisations should NOT be given the Right to Appeal: Local Authority - No Objection

_________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of The Gate House, Grange Lodge, Clypse Moar Road, Onchan which is a existing detached dwelling situated on the north western side if the Clypse Moar Road. The property is the gatehouse to the main dwelling house "The Grange" which is to the northeast of the site.

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks approval for the replacement of existing porch with patio and patio door to rear elevation, replacement of existing attached store rooms with patio and patio door to south elevation.

3.0 DEPARTMENT POLICIES - 3.1 The site lies within an area zoned as an "not zoned for a particular purpose" on the Area Plan for the East. The site is not within a Conservation Area, Flood Zone, nor an area zoned as High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance. The site is within an area of "Unsuitable for development, danger of pollution to water supply" due to the Clypse Reservoir to the east of the site. - 3.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application: - 3.3 Environmental Policy 1: "The countryside and its ecology will be protected for its own sake. For the purposes of this policy, the countryside comprises all land which is outside the settlements defined in Appendix 3 at A.3.6 or which is not designated for future development on an Area Plan. Development which would adversely affect the countryside will not be permitted unless there is an over-riding national need in land use planning terms which outweighs the requirement to protect these areas and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative." - 3.4 Housing Policy 15 states: "The extension or alteration of existing traditionally styled properties in the countryside will normally only be approved where these respect the proportion, form and appearance of the existing property. Only exceptionally will permission be granted for extensions which measure more than 50% of the existing building in terms of floor space (measured externally)."

3.6 Planning Circular 3/91 - Guide to the Design of Residential Development in the Countryside - 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 There are no previous planning applications which are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application.

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Ecosystem Policy Officer (DEFA) makes the following comments (21.11.2025); "General Stance Objection due to lack of information. Detailed comments

• o Photos provided with the application show that the Gate House is an old building with a slate roof in a poor state of repair with numerous potential entry points for bats. The property is also surrounded by broadleaved woodland, located less than 300m away from open water bodies and other habitats, and located approx. 200m away from a property that was confirmed to have a brown long-eared bat roost in 2025. All features which increase the likelihood of bats being present.
• o The Ecosystem Policy Team therefore request that the applicant obtains a preliminary assessment for roosting bats by a suitably qualified ecological consultancy and submits a report detailing the findings, alongside appropriate avoidance and mitigation measures, to Planning prior to determination of this application. Should this assessment determine that further surveys are required, the results of these surveys should also be submitted prior to determination.
• o Preliminary assessments for bats can be undertaken at any time throughout the year. However, if emergence/re-entry surveys to confirm bat roost presence are required then there are seasonal requirements (they need to be undertaken in the summer).
• o Bat surveys are required to identify the species of bat utilising the property, their abundance and whether they are breeding and this will determine the mitigation required. Bat surveys should be undertaken in accordance with the Bat Conservation Trust's Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists - Good Practice Guidelines, 4th edition (2024).
• o Submission of survey reports prior to determination applications is in line with UK best practice guidelines, as referred to in Section 9.2.4 of the British Standard Biodiversity - Code of Best Practice for Planning and Development (BS 42020:2013), which states: "The presence or absence of protected species, and the extent to which they could be affected by the proposed development, should be established before planning permission is granted;
• otherwise all material considerations might not have been considered in making the decision. The use of planning conditions to secure ecological surveys after planning permission has been granted should therefore only be applied in exceptional circumstances, such as where original survey work will need to be repeated because the survey data might be out of date before commencement of development, etc." Potential conditions
• o No works to commence unless a preliminary assessment for roosting bats alongside any additional surveys recommended by this assessment, have been undertaken by a suitably qualified ecological consultancy and a report/s details the findings have been submitted to Planning and approved in writing. This must also be accompanied by an ecological mitigation plan which details how the recommendations within the preliminary assessment, and any additional surveys, are to be implemented on site.
• o No external lighting to be installed unless a sensitive lighting plan, following best practise as detailed in the Bat Conservation Trust and Institute of Lighting Professionals Guidance Note 8/23 on Bats and Artificial Lighting (2023), has been submitted to Planning and approved in writing. Additional Information
• o Bat and their roost spaces are legally protected under the Wildlife Act 1990, and this includes protection from reckless action. Demolition of the porch and alterations of the building without suitable checks for bats would be considered reckless."

5.2 Onchan Commissioners have no objection (20.11.2025).

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The main issues are the potential visual impact of the development upon the countryside/landscape and individual dwelling.

6.2 Currently, the dwelling is apparent when immediately passing the site from the adjacent public highway. The existing dwelling is a single storey traditional style gatehouse style property with Manx stone walls finished in painted render, slate roof, vertically proportion windows. The existing property is traditional in form and appearance and it is considered HP 15 requires consideration.

6.3 In terms of the proportion, scale and form of the proposals it is considered the proposals would be rather modest and would be appropriate and in keeping with the property. The demolition of the rear porch and the small outbuilding to the southern elevation are beneficial to the appearance of the property. It is considered the proposal would comply with HP 15 and Planning Circular 3/91. - 6.4 Due to these reason; this it is considered it would be difficult to argue that the proposal would adversely affect the countryside as per the requirements of Environment Policy 1. - 6.5 Objections from the Ecosystem Policy Tema are noted; however, the submission is for solely for a patio door to the south elevation, demolition of a single storey outbuilding which is in a dilapidated state of repair (unlikely to be used by bats), and demolition of a single storey flat roof porch (as the reminder of works proposed fall within Permitted Development and are not be sought for approval). No approval is being sought for changes to the roof or major alterations to the dwelling. Accordingly, while the objection is noted, it is considered the information sought would be dealing with matters outside of what is required or relevant for what is being proposed. An informative note should be attached.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 Overall, it is considered the proposals would comply with HP15 and would not adversely affect the countryside and therefore comply with EP 1 and Planning Circular 3/91. It is recommended that the application be approved. - 8.0 RIGHT TO APPEAL AND RIGHT TO GIVE EVIDENCE

8.1 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).

8.2 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.

8.3 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. - 8.4 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.

8.5 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: 03.12.2025 Determining Officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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