Planning Statement

Planning Statement In Support Of The Additional Use Of The Existing Dwelling (Class 3.3) To Accommodate Offices (Class 2.1) Associated With The Botanic Garden Project At Ballavale Road; The Old Mill, Harbour Road, Santon IM4 1HF

• 1.0 INTRODUCTION
• 1.1 The Old Mill is an existing building which was formerly a water mill but has relatively recently been converted to a dwelling (see Planning History). The building is a two storey stone structure which has been changed very little to convert it to a dwelling, with no extension to the footprint or significant changes to door and window apertures.
• 1.2 A garage was formed to the north west of the building with the parking space underneath the higher level at the northern end of the site, and accessed from the southernmost access off Harbour Road. There is open parking above the garage, accessed from the northern access off Harbour Road.

Existing garage

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 2 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

Existing parking area above the garage

• 1.3 The dwelling has three bedrooms, a reception hall, living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom all accommodated over three floors.
• 1.4 There are approximately 8 parking spaces within the site including garaged spaces.
• 1.5 The mill is a distinctive and prominent building within the streetscene, being right alongside the highway and easily visible.
• 1.6 The land owned in conjunction with the building extends to the western side of the river that runs south through Glen Grenaugh with a small waterfall as it passes through this site.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 3 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

Waterfall and riverside walling

1.7 The site is owned in conjunction with the botanic garden project centred around Ashdowne House, Mallards, Ballachrink Farm and land on both sides of Ballavale Road (see planning history and illustrated in the attached plans including additional land which is now part of the landholding owned and managed by the applicant.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 4 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 2.0 PLANNING HISTORY
• 2.1 The building was approved for conversion to a dwelling under 10/00180/A and 10/01432/ REM.
• 2.2 A summer house was proposed under 12/000505/B but the application was withdrawn prior to determination.
• 2.3 Further to the north, a botanic garden project was permitted under the following applications:

• 13/00830/B - erection of production house and walled garden - amended under 16/00358/B
• 13/00831/B - creation of water cascade and amphitheatre
• 13/00832/B - creation of meadow orchard, meadow, lake, wetlands, boglands and glen

13/00834/B - carton of gardeners' compound and sensory garden

• 2.3 Further tree planting was permitted within Ballachrink Farm under 14/01190/C.
• 2.4 The creation of the botanic garden is a substantial project which has commenced. During this time the project has evolved and additional land and property has been added to the portfolio to provide accommodation for the growing amount of specialists and practitioners and facilities which are required to develop the project.
• 2.5 Additional properties have been acquired including Ballachrink Farm. Ballavale Farmhouse and Ballavale Barns and these will provide valuable office and living accommodation for the project:

16/00365/B - erection of temporary greenhouse, Ballachrink Farm

21/00299/B - Alteration and erection of extensions to existing farmhouse to provide daily access and toilet facility for estate employees and additional use of existing living space for visiting consultants, Ballachrink Farmhouse

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 5 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

25/90709/B - Demolition of garage, erection of glass house, removal of one vehicular access, alterations to existing dwelling, additional use of dwelling as offices, Ballavale Barns

2.6 There is also a current application in the system proposing alterations to Lincoln House and The Old School to convert them to additional meeting facilities for the botanical garden (25/91001/B).

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 6 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 3.0 PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT
• 3.1 The site lies within an area not designated for a particular purpose on the Area Plan for the East adopted in 2013. As such there is a presumption against development here unless it falls within one of the exceptions listed in General Policy 3.
• 3.2 Environment Policies 1 and 2 protect the countryside for its own sake and presume against development which would be harmful thereto with EP2 stating that the protection of the character of the landscape will be the most important consideration unless it can be demonstrated that the development would not harm the character and quality of the landscape or that the location of the development is essential.
• 3.3 On the Area Plan Environmental Constraints map the site also lies within a wider area of ecological interest and Registered Woodland. This is clarified within the Island Environment map which shows Registered Tree Area RA0251 as applicable to the entire application site. There are no areas of ecological interest on this plan applicable to the site.
• 3.4 There are policies which allow for the conversion of existing rural buildings of historic or architectural interest to other uses including offices (Environment Policy 16). These also require that the original use of the building is redundant, it is substantially intact and capable of renovation, that the new use could be accommodated without requiring extension or adverse change to the character or appearance of the building, there would not be an unacceptable impact in terms of traffic generation, the conversion does not lead to dispersal of activity on such a scale as to prejudice the vitality and viability of existing town and village services and that the development does not involve significant levels of redevelopment.
• 3.5 Development which would adversely affect trees of amenity value, or ecology is presumed against (Environment Policies 3, 4 and 7).
• 3.6 On the national flood risk maps the site is shown as being at high risk of surface water flooding. Development which would itself be at unacceptable risk of flooding or would increase unacceptable flood risk elsewhere is presumed against (Environment Policies 10 and 13). It should be noted that in the approved scheme of conversion to a dwelling, there were works proposed to the eastern bank of the stream which were approved under Land Drainage legislation and would protect the site from flooding up and downstream of the waterfall.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 7 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

Existing earth bunding upstream of the waterfall

3.7 Development needs to have an an acceptable means of access, adequate parking and an acceptable impact on the highway network (General Policy 2, Transport Policies 4 and 7).

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 8 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 4.0 THE PROPOSAL
• 4.1 Proposed is the additional use of the property for use as offices associated with the botanic gardens. This is similar to the facilities which were approved at Ballachrink Farmhouse and Ballavale Barns and is the latest application for repurposing an existing building to accommodate the evolving nature of the botanical garden project.
• 4.2 As the botanic gardens are evolving, there are increasing numbers of people who provide daily services to the project and who require to be on or near the site. It is not proposed that there will be any visitors or customers calling to the site and those working here would be based here with trips to the botanic garden site to discuss proposals, oversee work and liaise with others working at the site.
• 4.3 The operation is currently recruiting professional and technical staff thus increasing the amount of liaison in which the workforce has to engage.
• 4.4 The proposal does not involve any change to the building and it is proposed to retain the residential use in the event that the project requires residential accommodation here more than it requires the office use.
• 4.5 The site can accommodate enough parking to provide a parking space for everyone anticipated to work here - estimated to be 8 persons.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 9 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 5.0 PLANNING ASSESSMENT
• 5.1 The proposal is for the additional use of an existing dwelling to be used as an office in conjunction with the nearby botanic garden project. The residential use would remain and if and when not needed for offices could revert back thereto. The principle of office use of an existing residential dwelling is similar to the approved schemes at Ballachrink Farm and Ballavale Barns in the latter case where a condition was attached to require:
• 2. The additional office use hereby approved is restricted to the ground floor of the main dwelling only and only in connection with the operation of the wider botanic garden site outlined in blue on drawing number A_1_00 Location Plan.

Reason: the application has been assessed on this specific basis only as submitted, and in ensuring the proposal doesn't prevent the barns use as dwelling in line with Business Policy 7 and not to undermine Draft Economy Strategy.

• 5.2 In this case, like Ballavale Barns, the original use of the building - in that case as agricultural buildings and in this case as a mill - has been demonstrated to be redundant through the prior approval of applications to convert these buildings into dwellings. The proposal does not propose a complete change of use, just an additional use for offices associated with the botanic garden project and where at any time, the residential use could be resumed.
• 5.3 EP16 is clear that the redundancy test applies to the original use, not the current use. Indeed, it it not proposed to remove the existing use, only add some flexibility so that it may be used for additional purposes. As such, we would submit that the proposal accords with EP16a.
• 5.4 There are no works to change the building so the proposal is not in conflict with EP16c or f and the building has already been converted so there is no issue with EP16b.
• 5.5 Whilst there would be additional people coming to and from the site and parking therein, there is sufficient car parking and manoeuvring space within the site to accommodate this. The two accesses are existing and whilst visibility to the north at the northern access is currently limited by the roadside leylandii hedge and tree which are within the applicant's ownership, the amount of coming and going here will be limited as staff will arrive in the morning and leave at night with any interim visits to the botanic garden site encouraged to

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 10 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

be on foot or bicycle. In addition, Harbour Road is winding in alignment and narrow and as such, traffic, which is not significant, travels relatively slowly and generally in the middle of the carriageway and there is sufficient space for vehicles emerging from the northern access to creep out slowly, having good visibility to the south, and obtaining a clear view of the carriageway before driving out safely onto it. Further information on the access is provided in the accompanying transport statement. The proposal is therefore not considered to conflict with EP16c or d or Transport Policies 4 and 7 and General Policy 2.9

• 5.6 The proposal will introduce offices in a location where such use would normally be discouraged. We fully accept that conventional offices would be expected to be located within a settlement - in this case in Castletown, Ballasalla or Douglas. However, the nature of the work which will be undertaken in this case is directly associated solely with the botanic garden project and involves frequent meetings on site. As such, the people who will work in the proposed office space need to be closer to the botanic garden site than the nearest settlements. If they were to be located elsewhere, there would be frequent car journeys to and from the site which is not considered environmentally sustainable or time or cost effective. As such, we consider that there is justification for office accommodation here in the interests of sustainability and practical working for the project and as such is not in conflict with EP16e.
• 5.7 The Old Mill is within walking or cycling distance of the main botanic garden site and provision is available onsite for the secure storage of bicycles as well as sufficient parking for all users should they choose to travel to and from work by car.
• 5.8 Whilst the site is identified as being at potential risk of surface water flooding, the works which were previously undertaken have greatly increase the resilience of the site to flood risk. In addition, the proposed use would remove the sleeping accommodation which is considered a vulnerable use, particularly on the lower ground floor and as such, we would suggest that the proposed use is more resilient in terms of flood risk, than is the current residential use of the site.
• 5.9 The building is an existing dwelling and as such the additional use for offices will have no effect on ecology.
• 5.10 We would submit that the property is well located in respect of the botanic garden to provide the necessary office space to support the project without the construction of new

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 11 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

buildings, the undertaking of any building or engineering operations or any material change to the landscape.

• 5.11 The proposal would allow the botanic garden project to operate more sustainably and efficiently than it would if it was required to locate its office space in a nearby settlement and it does not result in a permanent change of use to an existing dwelling which could not easily be reversed.
• 5.12 As such, we would submit that the proposal accords with all of the relevant policy objectives and would support this unique and exciting ecological project for the Island's benefit and represents the applicant’s continuing commitment to the development of the botanical garden project without unnecessary new buildings in this landscape preferring to repurpose existing buildings which form part of it.
• 5.13 We would be happy to accept a condition which restricts the office use to solely in connection with the operation of the wider botanic garden site shaded in blue on drawing number A_000.

Sarah Corlett 19.03.26

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 12 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e:[email protected] w:www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C