Lezayre Parish Commissioners - Statement of Case
17th March 2026
Department of Environment Food and Agriculture Planning and Building Control Directorate Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas IM1 2SF
Planning Appeal AP26/0007
The Commissioners wish to submit their Written Statement on the below planning application which has been refused:-
25/90196/B – Land adjacent to Ginger Hall Hotel – construction of 14 bungalows including vehicular access and associated infrastructure.
- The Commissioners reiterate their ongoing concerns about the drainage issues that development of this site might cause, especially to existing neighbouring properties in Carrick Park which are situated below the level of the proposed development.
The Planning Statement provided by the applicant's agent in February 2025, revised in May 2025, states in 3.4 'A drainage ditch runs along the northwest edge of the site, with the ground sloping towards the northern corner, where surface water is directed into several pipes'. This ditch is currently being maintained by the residents of Carrick Park but will, presumably, become the responsibility of the owners of some of the properties on the development site as riparian landowners. If this maintenance is not then continued the Commissioners speculate that this could have a very negative impact on the Carrick Park properties who will no longer have any control over the maintenance of the ditch.
A 600mm diameter pipe is supposed to be installed to take water away, however, it is acknowledged in the previous planning application from 2022 that it may prove difficult to install such a pipe because the water main is in the way.
Added to this, such intensive development of the site is bound to increase the amount of surface water run-off which is already heavy during times of prolonged rain, with the drainage ditch struggling to cope with it.
- The Commissioners believe that, where residents or visitors park on the road, which is very likely, inconsiderate or poor parking may cause an obstruction to the refuse wagons, resulting in the possibility of some parts of the proposed estate not having their bins emptied on a regular basis. The Commissioners requested that the
Northern Parishes Refuse Collection Board submit its own Written Statement on this. A copy of its response is attached.
- 3. The Commissioners continue to assert that the proposal for 14 dwellings on this site is an over-intensive development and not in keeping with its surroundings. Whilst this latest application is for bungalows they are in no way similar to the bungalows that surround them in Carrick Park and Ballamanaugh Close.
With each planning application made the proposed number of dwellings increases. They would like to remind the planners of the following comments made in relation to previous applications for this site with regard to over development:
13/91035/B - application for erection of five detached dwellings with associated garages. The application was refused by Planning and also at appeal for the following reasons: 1. The proposal is contrary to General Policy 2(b) of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 in that the proposed development, by reason of its cramped and contrived layout, would have a materially harmful effect on the character and appearance of the site and its surroundings.
12/01125/B - application for six dwellings and six garages refused in January 2013. This application was refused by Planning and not appealed by the applicant. The grounds for refusal were: 1. That the development would result in a cramped and awkward layout that fails to provide adequate levels of amenity space and insufficient space for any landscape buffer.
The Commissioners do not see that this latest planning application is an improvement on the above.
Yours sincerely
Lynn Smith
Mrs Lynn Smith Clerk Lezayre Parish Commissioners
