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                                      18/00723/B                                     Page  1  of  5

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 18/00723/B Applicant : Mr Mathew Parsons Proposal : Erection of an agricultural building Site Address : Baljean Farm Baldhoon Road Laxey Isle Of Man IM4 7QL

Principal Planner: Mr Chris Balmer Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 13.08.2018 __

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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

C 2. The building hereby approved must be used only for agricultural purposes.

Reason: in the interests of protecting local amenity.

C 3. The roof of the barn hereby approved shall be coloured a dark grey colour and retained thereafter.

Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area.

C 4. The external walls of the barn hereby approved (exception lower concrete walls) are required to be finished in Yorkshire Boarding which is either left in is naturel finish or painted a dark green/brown colour and retained thereafter.

Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area.

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Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawings all received on 12th July 2018.

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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The application site is Baljean Farm, Baldhoon Road, Laxey which is a operational farm holding located to the north of the Baldhoon Road and northwest of Laxey Village. The site is located on a hillside and therefore the topography of the area is sloping in nature, but with within the farm complex there are sections of level areas, which also accommodate the number of barns/yards within the farm complex.

1.2 The site is accessed via a concrete private farm lane which runs from the Baldhoon Road in a zig zag layout in a northerly direction.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the erection of an agricultural barn within the farm complex. The barn would be 18.3m in width, 32m in depth, with a ridge height of 7.7m. It would be solid on three of its elevations with the north western elevation being wholly open. The walls are should as concrete blockwork to 2m above finished floor level, with Yorkshire boarding above this height. The roof would be constructed of grey fibre cement sheeting with roof lights within. The building will replace an existing redundant stone building plus a lean-to garage.

2.3 The applicant advises that the farm has some 5003 acres and includes 225 suckler cows, 425 young stock, 740 lowland ewes and 1600 upland ewes and their flock replacements. There is a labour demand of 14.08 standard labour units.

2.4 The applicant indicates that the new barn would be used for additional space for calved cows, winter housing of the breeding bulls, plus machinery and feed storage. Currently the farm has a total livestock housing requirements of 4952sqm whereas the existing barns provide 3984sqm, and the proposed barn (585sqm) will help in this shortfall, albeit still short by 316sqm.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The site has been the subject of the following planning application which is considered of material relevance to the determination of the current application:

3.2 Erection of a cattle shed - 05/01306/B - APPROVED

3.3 Alterations, conversions and re-roofing two outbuildings - 85/00220/B - APPROVED

4.0 PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The application site is within an area recognised not zoned for development under the Laxey and Lonan Local Plan. The site is not within a Conservation Area, nor within an area zoned as High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance.

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                                      18/00723/B                                     Page  3  of  5

4.2 There are therefore several policies of relevance in the Strategic Plan. T

4.3 Environment Policy 1 states: "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".

4.4 Environment Policy 14 states: "Development which would result in the permanent loss of important and versatile agricultural land (Classes 1-2) will not be permitted except where there is an overriding need for the development, and land of a lower quality is not available and other policies in this plan are complied with. This policy will be applied to:

(a) land annotated as Classes 1/2 on the Agricultural Land Use Capability Map; and (b) Class 2 soils falling within areas annotated as Class 2/3 and Class 3/2 on the Agricultural Land Use Capability Map."

4.5 Environment Policy 15 states: "Where the Department is satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building (including a dwelling), sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside, and that the impact of this development including buildings, accesses, servicing etc. is acceptable, such development must be sited as close as is practically possible to existing building groups and be appropriate in terms of scale, materials, colour, siting and form to ensure that all new developments are sympathetic to the landscape and built environment of which they will form a part.

'Only in exceptional circumstances will buildings be permitted in exposed or isolated areas or close to public highways and in all such cases will be subject to appropriate landscaping. The nature and materials of construction must also be appropriate to the purposes for which it is intended.

'Where new agricultural buildings are proposed next to or close to existing residential properties, care must be taken to ensure that there is no unacceptable adverse impact through any activity, although it must be borne in mind that many farming activities require buildings which are best sited, in landscape terms, close to existing building groups in the rural landscape".

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS 5.1 Garff Parish Commissioners have no objection (20.07.2018).

5.2 Highway Services have made the following comments (10.08.2018):

"The site location cannot be identified from the plans provided as they do not show a large enough area surrounding the site with road names. This prevents the site from being identified on google maps and therefore existing site conditions cannot be viewed and additional information is required as a result to support the application.

The application states that the proposed building is to house livestock in the winter and provide storage for feed and machinery. The new building would require part of an existing redundant stone building and a small garage to be demolished. It is unknown if the garage is currently used to accommodate vehicles and if this is the case, the applicant should clarify if the proposed building is to be a replacement facility for this parking. Alternatively the application should demonstrate that there is adequate hardstanding on the site to accommodate any parking that would be displaced. A revised site plan and site photographs could show this.

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There would be no changes to the existing site access arrangements as a result of the proposals.

Highway Services request that the application is deferred to allow the applicant to consider the above."

6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The starting point for any development within the countryside (i.e. not zoned for development) is General Policy 3 paragraph F of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan. This policy states that development will not be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development on the appropriate Area Plan with the exception of those buildings which are essential for the conduct of agriculture or forestry.

6.2 Environment Policy 15 also needs consideration, as the first paragraph of this policy requires first the Department to be satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building, sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside.

6.3 From the information submitted it is evident that the farm is a substantial farm operation and the information submitted would appear to clear identified a need for a new agricultural barn to meet the need of the agricultural business, which would also replace existing buildings on the site. Accordingly, it is considered the justification for the additional barn is acceptable and therefore complies with Environment Policy 15.

6.4 In terms of the siting, scale, colour, form and materials of the proposed building, no objection is raised. It is accepted that the building is of a relatively uninspiring design but, in the context of agricultural buildings, it is very much "of its type". That the roof colour (conditioned) would be grey in colour and thus provide a level of camouflage from the open nature of the countryside is, however, welcome, while the proposed Yorkshire Boarding at upper levels is acceptable finish in a countryside setting. The barn will be potentially apparent from more distinct views to the east/southeast (Ballaragh Road), albeit it will be read as being part of the existing farm complex, rather than an isolated building in the countryside. Accordingly, the proposal in terms of design, finish and siting would comply with the requirements of EP 15.

6.5 In terms of comments from Highway Services, the existing barns proposed to be demolished in the main are not used for the parking of cars. Further the only building which could house a car is the lean-to garage, albeit on a section of this total building is being demolition. However, the size of the farm complex is such that there is significant amount of parking within the site to mitigate any loss of parking in the garage.

7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 The policies of the Strategic Plan are clear that development should not take place in the countryside unless there is a clear justification for that development. On balance, the proposed building is considered to be agriculturally justified, and appropriate in terms of the proposed design and siting, and therefore a recommendation of approval is made.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 (Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested; (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

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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 in Article 6(4) 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.

Decision Made : Permitted

Date: 15.08.2018

Determining officer Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett

Principal Planner

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