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23/01022/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/01022/B Applicant : Mrs Julie Walker Proposal : Enlargement of horse riding arena and change of use of fields 435361 and 435344 from agricultural to equestrian. Site Address : Corlea Farm Corlea Road Ballasalla Isle Of Man IM9 3BA
Planning Officer: Miss Lucy Kinrade Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Planning Committee
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 14.11.2023 __
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 extended arena hereby approved must be used only for equestrian purposes in association with Corlea Farm and shall not be used for any commercial use or commercial purposes.
Reason: The application has been assessed on this private use only as requested in the application.
C 3. In the event that the extended arena hereby approved is no longer used or required for the exercising of horses, the arena and any associated hardstanding shall be removed and the ground restored to its former condition within 24 months of the date the use ceased.
Reason: In the interest of ensuring no unwarranted arena's in the countryside.
C 4. The change of use of land to private equestrian use relates only to the area outlined in red as shown on drawing number 23/17/01 Site Location Plan received 19/09/2023.
Reason: The application has been assessed on this area only for private equestrian use.
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23/01022/B Page 2 of 5
C 5. In the event that the extended arena is removed in line with C3 above, the equestrian use of the land must also cease.
Reason: the equestrian use of the land is considered on an exceptional basis for the need for horse grazing and in the event that need ceases the land shall also revert to its original use and purpose.
C 6. For the avoidance of doubt there shall be no permanent siting or any external storage of any horse jumps, horse boxes or any other associated equestrian paraphernalia within field numbers 435361 and 435344 as shown on drawing number 23/17/01 Site Location Plan received 19/09/2023
Reason: The application has been assessed on the change of use of the fields for general exercise and grazing only and not for any other use. In the interest of ensuring no overspill of equestrian equipment over the fields in the interest of visual amenity.
C 7. There shall be no external lighting of the extended arena unless full lighting plan details have been first submitted to and approved in writing by the Department, such details shall include position of lights, level of illumination and cowl details. Any external lighting shall then only be installed in full accordance with the approved lighting plan and retained as such thereafter.
Reason: For the avoidance of doubt and to ensure no harm to the dark skies.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposed works to create an extended arena are not considered to make significantly worse the overall appearance of the site in the landscape or to harm the countryside character beyond the existing arrangement, and the grazing of horse on the adjacent fields is also considered to be acceptable and not so different to the grazing of any agricultural animals, and for these reasons the proposal is not considered to conflict Environment Policies 1, 14, 19 and 21 of the Strategic Plan 2016.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to drawing number 23/17/01, 23/17/02 and 23/17/03 all date received 19/09/2023 and site photographs received 30/08/2023.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
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Officer’s Report
THE APPLICATION IS BEFORE COMMITTEE AS THE LAND IS NOT DESIGNATED FOR ANY USE AND THE PROPOSED EQUESTRIAN USE MAY BE CONSIDERED CONTRARY TO THE LAND USE DESIGNATION AND RELEVANT DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES PROTECTING THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR ITS OWN SAKE.
SITE 1.1. The site relates to an existing outdoor arena and two sloping fields forming part of Corlea Farm, Corlea Road, Ballasalla.
PROPOSAL
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23/01022/B Page 3 of 5
2.1. Permission is sought to create an extended outdoor arena measuring 30m x 60m and the change of use of fields 435361 and 435344 to equestrian use.
PLANNING HISTORY 3.1. The wider site has been subject to a number of previous planning applications although not relevant to the current application. The stables alongside the arena were approved under 05/02077/B.
PLANNING POLICY 4.1. The site is not designated for development on the Area Plan for the South 2013. The site is not within a Conservation Area nor recognised as being at any flood risk. The Soil Map Classification recognises the area as Class 3 soil.
4.2. There is a general presumption against any kind of development across the countryside and in AHLV's as outlined in established policies within the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 (Environment Policies 1 and 2, and General Policy 3), however the same plan also contains a number of paragraphs and policies that explicitly relate to, and offer support to, the development of new equestrian-related development (Paragraph 7.15.1 and Environment Policies 19, 20 and 21) as long as they do not result in the loss of any high quality agricultural land, harm highway safety or by reason of their design detriment the character, appearance and quality of the countryside. These policies also state that cavity wall construction should not be used for buildings and that there will be a presumption against large scale equestrian development including new buildings and external arena's in AHLV unless there are exceptional circumstances. Environment Policy 14 seeks to ensure no loss of high quality agricultural land.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1. Copies of representations received can be viewed on the Government's website. This report contains summaries only.
5.2. Malew Commissioners - no comments received at the time of writing the report 13/11/2023
5.3. Department of Infrastructure Highway Services - No highways interest (08/09/2023).
ASSESSMENT 6.1. General Policy 3 resists development out with those areas zoned for development other than in specified exceptional circumstances.
6.2. Environment Policy 1 confirms that the countryside and its ecology will be protected for its own sake. Development that would adversely affect the countryside is not permitted unless there is an overriding national need in land use planning terms and for which there is no reasonable alternative.
6.3. Equestrian pursuits are addressed at section 7.15 of the Strategic Plan. Paragraph 7.15.1 recognises that equestrian activities are becoming increasingly popular and may have an adverse impact on the character and appearance of the countryside. Among other things, sensitive siting and high standards of design, construction, and maintenance are necessary to ensure that there are no such impacts. Environment Policy 19 allows for the development of equestrian activities in the countryside where there would be no loss of local amenity, no loss of high-quality agricultural land and where there would be no highways issues and Environment Policy 20 indicates that there will be a presumption against large scale equestrian developments, which includes new buildings and external arenas, in areas with High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance unless under exceptional circumstances.
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23/01022/B Page 4 of 5
6.4. The main issue in the assessment of this application relate to the extension to the existing arena and the change of use of the fields and how both of these would impact on the character and appearance of the rural landscape.
Extension to Arena 6.5 The proposal seeks to make the existing arena longer and wider totalling 30m x 60m. Given the scale of the existing arena and its established impact in the landscape, it is not expected that the proposal to extend this will make significantly different this impact nor to significantly detriment the wider countryside. The clustering of the development around the existing building and arena helps to limit any significant spread of development and the distance from the road and sloping nature of the site helps to further limit any views from the main road also minded of the existing roadside boundary hedging. On this basis the proposed extension is considered to be acceptable.
Change of Use of Fields. 6.6 Equestrian use of land is not an agricultural use, thus constitutes development requiring an application. Equestrian use of the land in this instance would provide suitable grazing area for the keeping of any horses and without loss of any high quality agricultural land. Minded that reverting back agricultural could happen at any time given agriculture use does not constitute development and can be undertaken without the need for a planning application in line with The Act 1999. For the avoidance of doubt a condition revoking any external storing of horse jumps or any other similar horse exercising equipment is necessary given the application has not sought approval for any of these within the fields.
CONCLUSION 7.1. The proposed works to create an extended arena are not considered to make significantly worse the overall appearance of the site in the landscape or to harm the countryside character, and the grazing of horse on the adjacent fields is also considered to be acceptable and not so different to the grazing of any agricultural animals, and for these reasons the proposal is not considered to conflict Environment Policies 1, 14, 19 and 21 of the Strategic Plan 2016.
7.2 Suitably worded conditions will be added in the avoidance of doubt to ensure no external lighting to the extended arena, no horse jumps in the fields and in the event that the extended arena and fields are no longer required the arena removal and the field use ceased.
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.
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23/01022/B Page 5 of 5
I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to that body by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Committee has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : Permitted
Committee Meeting Date: 20.11.2023
Signed : L KINRADE Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).
Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below
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