DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 23/00076/B Applicant: Mr Brian & Mrs Julie Faragher Proposal: Erection of first floor extension above existing garage to provide ancillary accommodation Site Address: Croft House Church Road Santon Isle Of Man IM4 1EZ Planning Officer: Mr Toby Cowell Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.04.2023

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. The habitable accommodation within the proposed extension hereby permitted shall remain ancillary to the host dwelling "Croft House" and shall not be used as a self-contained independent residential unit.

Reason: In the interests of sustainable development and to safeguard the countryside for its own sake.

• C 3. The use of the extension above the garage here by approved shall only be used in accordance with the internal layout shown on plan 1650.2 received on 26 January 2023 and retained in perpetuity.

Reason: To ensure proper control of the development and to avoid any future undesirable fragmentation of the curtilage.

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

The proposed extension to the existing garage building is considered to be acceptable in principle in this countryside location and of an appropriate form, mass and design without

detriment to the character of the wider locality, in compliance with Spatial Policy 5, General Policies 2 and 3 and Environment Policies 1 and 2 of the Strategic Plan (2016).

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following plans and drawings; Location plan, 1650.1 & 1650.2, all received on 26.01.23. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None. _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site comprises the detached dwellinghouse and associated residential curtilage of Croft House to the immediate south and east of the main dwelling, together with Field nos. 514357 and 514358. The site is located to the east of Church Road, approximately 100m to the south of the junction with Old Castletown Road. Aside from the main dwellinghouse in the north-western corner, the site further include a detached 3-bay garage and ancillary outbuilding/implement store; both of which are sited to the east of the dwelling adjacent to the site's northern boundary. - 1.2 Dense mature trees effectively enclose the entirety of the site around its perimeter, with grassed agricultural fields bounding the site to the north, north-east and west. The abovementioned field included within the application site are noted as falling outside of the dwelling's established curtilage, being segregated from the main dwelling and it's curtilage by the access driveway.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Planning permission is sought for a first-floor extension to the existing 3-bay garage, including a raising of the ridge height by circa. 1.5m to facilitate ancillary living accommodation above the retained garage. The submitted plans indicate that the existing masonry walls would be raised in height, with a steel floor beam to be inserted to support a new timber floor level. The extension would be finished in painted render and stone facing with natural slate roof tiles as per the existing garage. The footprint of the resultant building would remain unaltered, but with the new first-floor accommodation facilitated by rooflights, a Juliet balcony (west elevation), a conventional balcony with glass balustrades and external staircase (east elevation) and a new window in the raised gable-front rear projection serving a bathroom.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The host dwelling has been extended on multiple occasions through the previous grant of various planning permissions, the latest of which modest ground-floor extensions permitted in 2014 (PA 14/00784/B). The most recent application relating to the wider site however was for the erection of the implement shed (PA 15/01134/B) and approved in 2016. - 3.2 The most pertinent application of relevance however relates to the existing garage itself, which was approved in 2007 (PA 07/01739/B).

- 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 The application site falls within land not zoned for development in the Area Plan for the East. The site falls within an Area of High Landscape Value in accordance with the 1982 Development Plan.

4.2 The following policies from the 2016 Strategic Plan are considered pertinent in the assessment of this application;

Strategic Policy

• 2 Priority for new development to identified towns and villages
• 3 To respect the character of our towns and villages 5 Design and visual impact

Spatial Policy 5 Development in the countryside only in accordance with General Policy 3

General Policy

• 2 General Development Considerations
• 3 Exceptions to development in the countryside Environment Policy

• 1 Protection of the countryside
• 2 Areas of High Landscape Value

Transport Policy

• 4 Highways safety 7 Parking

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Santon Parish Commissioners - no comments received at the time of writing. - 5.2 Highways Services - development would have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. (03.02.23) - 5.3 Forestry Officer - no comments received at the time of writing. - 5.4 Manx Utilities Authority - no comments received at the time of writing.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The main issues to consider in the assessment of this planning application are as follows:

• - Principle of development (SP5, GP3, EP1)
• - Design and visual impact (STP5, GP2)
• - Impact upon neighbouring amenity (GP2, g)
• - Highway safety and parking (TP4, 7)

- 6.2 PRINCIPLE

• 6.2.1 The site falls outside of a defined settlement boundary within the open countryside, is not designated for residential development within the Development Plan with the proposals not technically in accordance within one of the defined exception criteria outlined in General Policy 3.
• 6.2.2 Housing Policies 15 and 16 make provision for the extension to dwellinghouses within the countryside, however no provision is made within the Strategic Plan for the erection of ancillary buildings within the curtilage of established and lawful dwellings, nor is provision made for the extension of such ancillary buildings. Notwithstanding this however, the general approach of the Department is to support the erection of proportionate ancillary structures, provided they are of an appropriate design, scale and siting, would not result in an adverse impact upon the wider landscape setting, safeguard residential amenity and be clearly ancillary and subordinate in nature and use. Likewise, moderate extensions to existing buildings are also generally supported provided that the resultant building would remain ancillary in use and

• nature, be of an appropriate design, scale and massing, and not result in harm to the wider rural landscape. It is of material relevance that the erection of garages within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse may be permissible under permitted development, in accordance Schedule 1, Class 17 of the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012, which is a material planning consideration.
• 6.2.3 In this instance, the proposals would not amount to an increase in footprint, but rather the addition of first-floor accommodation facilitated by a raising in height of the garage roof by circa. 1.5m to provide ancillary living accommodation for family members visiting the property. The nature and size of the proposed accommodation is relatively modest and such that, on balance, it would evident remain ancillary to that of the host dwellinghouse as opposed to being tantamount to the creation of a separate unit of accommodation. In particular, the 3-bay garage underneath would remain as per its consented purpose, the use of which for the parking of domestic vehicle was secured by condition attached to the 2007 permission. Likewise, the use of the accommodation as a separate independent unit of accommodation in its own right would require a further planning permission, as would the use of the accommodation for tourist purposes.
• 6.2.4 Given the above assessment and noting the use of the proposed accommodation to remain ancillary to the host dwelling of Croft House, which can be suitably further controlled through condition, the principle of development is considered to be acceptable.

- 6.3 DESIGN AND VISUAL IMPACT

• 6.3.1 The design and forms of the resultant building is considered to be acceptable, without appearing overdominant with respect to the adjacent dwelling. Likewise, the resultant materials proposed would not deviate from those already in existence.
• 6.3.2 The existing building is already not particularly visible from outside of the application site, by reason of its modest scale and dense tree line forming the northern boundary. The proposed uplift in scale of by circa. 1.5m is not considered to materially intrude upon longdistance views to the north, particularly noting the extant tree coverage. Consequently, the proposals are acceptable from a design and visual impact perspective, including upon the wider landscape, in compliance with General Policy 2 (b) & (c), and Environment Policies 1 and 2 of the Strategic Plan.

- 6.4 NEIGHBOURING AMENITY

• 6.4.1 The location of the existing garage is sited a sufficient distance from the closest neighbouring property of The Vicarage to the south (circa. 80m), that the proposals would pose no material impact upon the amenities of the nearest property.

6.5 HIGHWAY SAFETY AND PARKING

• 6.5.1 No objections have been raised by Highways Services over the proposals, which would not interfere with the site's existing access and driveway, nor the current level of parking serving the property.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 The proposed extension to the existing garage building is considered to be acceptable in principle in this countryside location and of an appropriate form, mass and design without detriment to the character of the wider locality, in compliance with Spatial Policy 5, General Policies 2 and 3 and Environment Policies 1 and 2 of the Strategic Plan (2016). The application is therefore 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:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);

• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material. 8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status

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.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 14.04.2023 Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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