24 October 2018 · Head of Development Management (Stephen Butler)
Ballakeigh Farm, West Kimmeragh Road, Bride, Isle Of Man, IM7 4ba
The site is part of Ballakeigh Farm, an active agricultural holding of 650 acres located 200m back from West Kimmeragh Road and accessed via a 550m private farm road connecting to the A10. The proposal included a 13.7m x 9.14m x 5.2m high metal-framed extension for storing feed, bedding, machinery, and fertiliser, plus…
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The officer accepted the agricultural need for the building extension based on the farm's 650-acre holding, livestock numbers (60 dairy cows, 100 suckler cows, 300 young stock, 550 ewes), and demonstr…
General Policy 3
Permits agricultural buildings essential for agriculture outside zoned areas. Officer accepted functional need for extension based on farm scale and livestock but access alterations not essential or justified.
Spatial Policy 5
Restricts countryside development to General Policy 3 exceptions. Building need complied via GP3(f); access works did not.
Environment Policy 1
Protects countryside for its own sake unless overriding national need with no alternative. Access alterations' tree loss, hedgerow lowering, and bank reprofiling harmed ecology and character without sufficient highway override.
Environment Policy 2
Prioritises landscape character protection in Areas of High Landscape or Coastal Value unless no harm or essential location. Access works changed rural streetscene detrimentally despite replacement planting.
Environment Policy 15
Requires agricultural buildings sited near existing groups, appropriate scale/form/materials. Extension met tests (adjacent, matching existing, low visibility); access not assessed under this.
Environment Policy 3
Prohibits unacceptable woodland loss. Ash removal justified (poor condition); visibility splay trees' loss contributed to countryside harm.
Transport Policy 4
Requires highways to safely accommodate generated traffic. Visibility splays below standards, plans inaccurate, safe access not demonstrated despite Highways' conditional non-opposition.
Any improvement in sightlines is beneficial; would not oppose if condition ensured visibility splays retained and unobstructed with nothing above 1.05m.
Removal of Ash tree for building extension justified as in poor condition; if visibility splay trees removed (balancing road safety), recommend planting scheme roadside.
DEFA Forestry raises no objection to the barn extension but expresses concerns over tree removal for visibility splays and recommends replanting; Highways supports the visibility improvements with a condition; DEFA Biodiversity requests a bat survey due to high bat roost potential.
Key concern: high bat roost potential requiring survey prior to determination
DEFA Forestry
Conditional No Objectionthese trees should be considered as high quality, category A trees, worthy of being a material constraint to development; input from highway services will be critical in this regard; I would recommend planting a row of 6 trees at 3m spacing along the top of the re-profiled bank
Conditions requested: if tree removal justified, replanting of row of 6 trees at 3m spacing along top of re-profiled bank, in 2m stock proof strip, with plastic mesh wind break barrier; species: Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Austriaca), holm oak (Quercus ilex), turkey oak (Quercus cerris) as 60-90cm bare root whips
Highway Services Division
Conditional No ObjectionThe proposed visibility is significantly below the visibility standards in both directions, but as it is an existing site access point the proposed improvement in the sightlines would be beneficial and is therefore afforded highway support; Recommendation: DNOC
Conditions requested: provide the visibility splays as shown on the plan and maintain them unobstructed at all times with nothing above 1.05m in height within the visibility splay areas
DEFA Biodiversity
There is high bat roost potential on this site and I request that due to the proposed removal of a number of mature trees in an area known to have bats that a survey to check for roosting bats is undertaken prior to determination of this application
Conditions requested: survey to check for roosting bats undertaken prior to determination of this application
