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Ballakillingan Farm has 400 acres of which 200 acres is up Skyhill and used for Suckler Beef Production, leaving 200 acres around the farmstead. Previously this has been farmed as an intensive dairy unit but low profitability has led to extensification, and a change in farm policy to stock rearing and arable. The extensification has freed up some land (Field 134295) which we are proposing to use as a campsite. This diversification has been accelerated by the introduction of the Countryside Care Scheme by the Government. It was implemented in April 2009 for a 10 year period and aims to make farms self-reliant and sustainable by phasing out production led subsidies, and encouraging farmers to diversify into other rural enterprises that are profitable such as a campsite.
The tourism department have expressed support for an additional quality campsite in the North of the Island. We are close to Ramsey which has fewer hotels now for tourists, and would benefit from campers visiting the shops, restaurants and pubs. We are also close to the Millennium Way which is popular with walkers, cyclists, and birdwatchers who like to stay in a rural location. At TT 2011 all the campsites in Douglas were full and farmers were contacting us to see if they could send campers to this end of the Island. It is of benefit during TT to spread the bikers throughout the Island.
We wanted to offer a quiet country location where people can come and learn about local wildlife, wild flowers, birds, farming, and the Isle of Man. Our farm is in the DEFA Agri Environment Scheme with a beautiful flower meadow and newly created wetland habitat, through which the campers can learn about local flora and fauna. The field (field number 134295) we have chosen has a lovely view of Skyhill, a scenic river nearby, private woodland and fields for dog walking, and is within walking distance of the main road for public transport. It provides a total of 10 acres of flat grassland with three fresh water points, vehicular access along an existing stone track, and three separate pedestrian access points in the case of fire. We are applying for only 20 pitches which will mean each camper can find their own quiet piece of the field.
It is proposed to alter the main farm access by widening the entrance into scrubland and moving the existing pillars backwards away from the road. This will improve the visibility to provide 225 metres in the Ramsey direction, and 275 metres in the Sulby direction and to allow two vehicles to pass in the entrance. The drive itself will be altered to allow four passing places and the first ten metres will be raised and flattened to road level and concreted.
The change in Agricultural policy has resulted in a dramatic reduction in heavy vehicle traffic. There is no longer a daily milk tanker, no artic lorries delivering feed and fertiliser, no staff cars (no staff are employed) and no weekly delivery vans. The campsite will generate a few light vehicles during the
summer months the noise generated by these will be less than the Agricultural traffic used to be, and also insignificant compared to the noise generated by lorries etc. on the main road.
There will be no permanent structures in the field so that at any point it can be returned to Agricultural Use. The field has been used to provide high quality grazing for dairy cows and it can easily be returned to this use in future as it will still be a grassland sward for the campsite.
We chose this field because it is not visible from any public roads or other properties. The field is shielded from the main road and public view by existing farm buildings, trees and hedges. The public walking along the public right of way can only see the campsite on the Western boundary through a gap in the hedge. We are proposing to plant some indigenous hardwoods e.g. oaks and ash alongside the hedge to fill in the gaps in the existing hedge. The owner of the farm has an on-going tree planting policy which will incorporate this extra planting.
We farm all of the land surrounding this field and there are no human habitations within earshot so the campsite should not disturb any other person on the Isle of Man.
We acknowledge that this field falls within an area classified as being a flood zone under the Flood Maps produced by the IOM Water and Sewage Authority, although we understand these are under review. We believe that using this field as a campsite will not endanger life by drowning for the following reasons:
There are two high quality showers, toilets, and washbasins available at the main farmstead which feed to the existing sewage system. There is a separate washbasin and washing up area nearby. This meets the Tourism Boards minimum standards for maximum occupancy for 20 pitches. We would hire in additional sanitary capacity in the first year if necessary due to high occupancy, and then look to convert part of an adjacent redundant farm building for further sanitary capacity in the second year.
The campsite will be open from mid-April to mid-September; this is a time of year when all the livestock are out in the fields so there will be no animals around the buildings to harm the campers. There will also be a very minimal amount of machinery movement. There is a public footpath running adjacent to the farm yard which has never caused a problem in terms of an accident with farm machinery or animals.
When the road is shut due to the road racing there will be no vehicular access to the campsite which applies to many of the campsites on the TT course. There is no vehicular access from the Garey road due to the Sulby River and there is no crossing point. We do not anticipate this being a problem and in case of fire or accident there is pedestrian access across the river bridge or tractor access across the river. We have run an Agricultural business for many years without experiencing a problem with the road closures.
Manx Electric have been helping us to move the overhead power lines in the proposed camping field and the new cable is now underground and awaiting connection at which time the overhead lines will become redundant, and will then be removed.
Our main aim in applying for this planning permission is to be able to provide a small but high quality campsite to attract visitors to the Island, and encourage them to spend time and money in the Isle of Man thus helping the local economy and our business to survive.
Signed Fw Brumby
MRS F W BRUMBY Date: 7.10.11
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