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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 20/00781/B Applicant : Dr Kathleen Kilmurry And Mr Andrew Lawson Proposal : Demolition of south west additions and erection of replacement extension. Site Address : Raby Farm Main Road Glen Maye Isle Of Man IM5 3AU

Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 24.08.2020 __

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to drawings 01 - 09 and 11 - 18 all received on 21st July, 2020. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE SITE 1.1 The site is the curtilage of Raby Farmhouse, an existing dwelling which sits on the western side of the A27 which runs through Glen Maye, to the north of the village. Raby House is associated with other outbuildings, some of which - the older, stone buildings - are owned by the applicant with more modern, working buildings being in separate ownership.

1.2 Raby House is a striking and unusual building in that the front part of the house is a large, quite grand house with a much smaller, simpler cottage behind. Both properties are connected internally and both appear on the 1860s County Series mapping. The larger element of the

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house has overhanging eaves with dentilled cornices, a central projecting two storey annex with a central peak. Windows in the front elevation are timber frames sliding sash and the entrance door is slightly recessed in the ground floor of the central annex. The property has substantial chimneys of each gable and a basement level of accommodation which is partly hidden at the front although there is a small light well around the left hand side of the property.

1.3 The cottage at the rear is more modest with smaller rooms and less ornamentation.

1.4 To the west of the residential elements of the site are stone outbuildings in an L-shape.

1.5 All of the buildings are accessed from a gated driveway which curves from the main road between walls and trees with a small, grassed garden in front of the main house and farm access ways around and between the smaller cottage and the stone outbuildings.

1.6 Whilst interesting, the building is not Registered.

1.7 Planning approval was granted for alterations and extensions to the house under 19/01027/B along with the erection of a detached garage and work has commenced upon this scheme in respect of the alterations to the dwelling. This current application seeks to alter the proposed replacement of part of the two storey cottage at the rear of the dwelling.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is an alternative to the approved extension to the southern elevation of the rear, smaller cottage.

2.2 As approved, the alterations to this part of the property were a relatively conservative annex with a reproduction of the pitch of the adjoining roof, a projecting gable and flat roofed projection to the south of the existing footprint providing a balcony from the new floorspace.

2.3 Now proposed is a more contemporary approach incorporating a very large, rendered chimney stack in the centre of the southern elevation projecting 1.7m higher than the ridge of the original cottage alongside with a flat roofed annex to the right between it and the main house faced in timber cladding underneath glazed sliding or bifold doors and with new windows underneath the timber cladding.

2.3 On the left hand side of the chimney is a large monopitched roof finished in natural slate with timber louvres on the southern façade between the glazing to provide shading and privacy. Beneath there will be a rendered plain wall with a door shaped window between it and the chimney.

2.4 On the western elevation the space between the rendered walling and the new large monopitched roof will be finished in timber cladding.

2.5 The applicant explains that in terms of the proposed chimney:

"The design strategy with the new part of the building is that it should be understandable as a 'new' part of the building, less resorting to pastiche as being a modern development of the topography and elements already present on the site. The proposed chimney stack has an important role to play in the composition of this whole elevation, providing a vertical emphasis and transition between the two new sections, the flat roof kitchen/ library and the pitched roof garden room/ gallery. This is designed to be clearly modern, its height of a scale between the dominant Victorian stacks, the cottage stacks, as well as the more humble ones on the barn; it also relates to both an earlier stack roughly in this location and the significantly taller stack more recently removed at the junction between the side of the cottage and the rear of the Victorian section."

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They refer to attached photos showing the property and note also the previous application showing the taller stack in the existing elevations (19/01027/B). They suggest that these, now demolished, stacks had, they consider, a simplicity in form that is recalled in the proposed chimney; in recent times these were seen to have a flat top, the chimney pots having been removed. "In keeping with this visual simplicity, the proposal is to cap the new stack with a precast concrete top, the flue exhausting through the gaps shown around the edge. They felt that it was important to distinguish the new stack from the Victorian stacks, allowing it to 'hold its own' by way of its size but not to detract from the finer detailing on the Victorian stacks."

In practical terms they suggest that the chimney stack will not be visible from the road to the north due to the density of the trees along the side of the road, topography, and location of the Victorian section which will obscure views of the stack and also refer to a belt of trees along the edge of the farm track which would generally obscure views of the new chimney from the neighbouring fields to the north. They accept that the top of the stack will be visible from within the site, but as it is located towards the southern edge of the house, the impact of its height will be greatly reduced in their view.

PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on The Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982 as not for a particular purpose, of High Landscape Value and Scenic Significance and within an area of Woodland. As such, the following parts of the Strategic Plan are relevant:

3.2 There is therefore a presumption against development as set out in Eps 1 and 2 where the protection of the countryside is of the highest importance, and General Policy 3 although there is provision in HP15 for extensions to traditional properties as follows:

Housing Policy 15: The extension or alteration of existing traditionally styled properties in the countryside will normally only be approved where these respect the proportion, form and appearance of the existing property. Only exceptionally will permission be granted for extensions which measure more than 50% of the existing building in terms of floor space (measured externally).

3.3 In this case, the extension does not add to the floor area of the existing property as much as did the approved scheme, extending only 0.9m for a length of 6.7m for the library and kitchen terrace above.

PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 19/01027/B proposed the previous scheme of renovations, alterations and extensions and proposed garage and was approved.

REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Patrick Parish Commissioners have no objection to the works (12.08.20).

5.2 Highway Services have no objection (04.08.20).

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issue here is whether the works will adversely affect the character or appearance of the existing dwelling and whether there would be any adverse impact on the character or appearance of the countryside which is designated as of High Landscape Value and Scenic Significance. As there will be no change in use from the proposed works, it is not considered that there will be any impact on highway safety.

6.2 The works will not affect the significant part of the existing building and importantly, those parts which are largely unaltered from their original construction. The new fabric, like that of the previously approved scheme, will rebuild a part of the building which is neither original nor

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attractive and in a form which is unashamedly modern and it is unlikely that this element will be publicly visible.

6.3 Whilst the chimney proposed in the application looks out of place in terms of its height and design, it will not be prominent and may not be publicly visible and in any case, remains subservient to the main house and is considered acceptable.

CONCLUSION 7.1 The renovation and modest extension of this fine house is very much supported and considered to be in line with HP15 and the application is supported.

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 in Article 4(2) 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: 25.08.2020

Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER

Chris Balmer

Principal Planner

Customer note

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