Officer Report

Application No.: 18/01175/B Applicant: Manx Utilities Proposal: Refurbishment of redundant sludge processing buildings to provide storage, archive and workshop space Site Address: Meary Veg Sewage Treatment Works Balnahowe Santon Isle of Man IM4 1HL Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 14.01.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

• C 2. The former sludge dryer and storage buildings shall not be used for the sale, lease or distribution of any products or services unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Department.

Reason: The approval hereby granted is only for the use of the buildings for storage, archiving and workshop.

Plans/Drawings/Information:

This permission relates to the following plans, drawings and photographs - date stamped as received on 9th November 2018:

• o 4222100 01 Location and Site Plan
• o 4222100 02 Plan and Sections as Existing, Former Sludge Dryer Building
• o 4222100 03 Plans and Sections as Proposed, Stores, Office and Workshop
• o 4222100 04 Existing former sludge storage building and proposed workshop
• o Photographs of site x8. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is within the Meary Veg Sewage Treatment Works (STW) , Balnahowe. The site is on the southern corner of the STW and consists of the former Sludge Dryer Building and Sludge Storage Building. - 1.2 The buildings take the form of corrugated warehouses within concrete bases - the dryer building is the largest consisting of three tiered height warehouses, and the smaller storage building is situated to the east. Each of the 3 main sections of the dryer building and the storage building have large door openings to facilitate HGV's. Access is via a track through the main STW site and there is informal parking on the large concreted area outside the buildings. - 1.3 In terms of proportion, the three adjoining dryer warehouses are stepped in height from 9.5m to 5.5m, each measuring 10.3m in length. The storage building is 12m in length, 10m wide and approximately 5m tall.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal consists or a number of alterations to the application site:

• o The removal of various storage containers on the site;
• o The recladding on the walls and roofs of the buildings, with the addition of a number of roof lights and additional windows;
• o Internal alterations to accommodate a change of use to a storage, archive and workshop space.

2.2 Parking and access is proposed to remain as existing.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 The following past planning applications have been submitted for this STW:

• o 99/00845/B - Construction of a sewage treatment plant with associated buildings and works. Permitted.
• o 07/00208/B - Installation of an additional cake silo. Permitted.
• o 07/00593/B - Construction of a concrete base as the foundation for the installation of an oil/water separation unit. Permitted.
• o 07/01504/B - Increase nominal height of existing storage silo. Permitted.
• o 13/91000/B - Erection of a sludge treatment facility, comprising treatment building,
• odour control plant, sludge cake storage silo and final product silo. Permitted.
• o 12/01128/B - Erection of a sludge import, thickening and storage facility. Permitted.
• o 14/00578/B - Erection of a sludge treatment building facility. Permitted.
• o 15/00200/B - Erection of a detached substation. Permitted.

- 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 The 1982 Development Plan identifies the site as within an Area of High Landscape of Coastal Value and Scenic Significance (AHLV).

4.2 Is assessing this planning application, it is important to consider the proposal against the policies set out in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, particularly the following: - 4.3 Strategic Policy 1: Development should make the best use of resources by:

• (a) optimising the use of previously developed land, redundant buildings, unused and underused land and buildings, and re-using scarce indigenous building materials;
• (b) ensuring efficient use of sites, taking into account the needs for access, landscaping, open space and amenity standards; and
• (c) being located so as to utilise existing and planned infrastructure, facilities and services.

4.4 General Policy 3: Development will not be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development on the appropriate Area Plan with the exception of:

• (a) essential housing for agricultural workers who have to live close to their place of work; (Housing Policies 7, 8, 9 and 10);
• (b) conversion of redundant rural buildings which are of architectural, historic, or social value and interest; (Housing Policy 11);
• (c) previously developed land which contains a significant amount of building; where the continued use is redundant; where redevelopment would reduce the impact of the current situation on the landscape or the wider environment; and where the development proposed would result in improvements to the landscape or wider environment;
• (d) the replacement of existing rural dwellings; (Housing Policies 12, 13 and 14);
• (e) location-dependent development in connection with the working of minerals or the provision of necessary services;
• (f) building and engineering operations which are essential for the conduct of agriculture or forestry;
• (g) development recognised to be of overriding national need in land use planning terms and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative; and
• (h) buildings or works required for interpretation of the countryside, its wildlife or heritage.

4.5 Environment Policy 22: Development will not be permitted where it would unacceptably harm the environment and/or the amenity of nearby properties in terms of:

• i) pollution of sea, surface water or groundwater;

4.6 Environment Policy 24: Pollution-sensitive development will only be allowed to be located close to sources of pollution where appropriate measures can be taken to safeguard amenity.

• ii) emissions of airborne pollutants; and
• iii) vibration, odour, noise or light pollution.

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Santon Commissioners have no objections to the application (05.12.18).

5.2 DoI Highway Services have not commented. - 5.3 The DEFA Environmental Protection Unit was consulted and confirmed that they had no objection to the application, based on the conclusion that all holding tanks had been cleaned and removed from the buildings and all other equipment made safe and removed (10.01.19).

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The key considerations in the determination of this application are:

• o The principle of the proposal
• o The impact on access/parking
• o The visual impact/ AHLV impact
• o Environmental/Pollution Concerns

6.2 Principle of the Proposal

• 6.2.1 Strategic Policy 1 of the IOMSP is clear in that development should make the best uses

• of existing resources including redundant buildings. As it is stated in the application that the STW sludge dryer and storage buildings are at risk of falling into disrepair, and the

Environmental Protection Officer has confirmed that they are no longer operating as per their previous uses, future alternative use as storage, archive and workshop spaces are acceptable in principle.

• 6.2.2 Additionally, the proposal meets the criteria for works within areas not zoned for development, as set out in General Policy 3 (c). The site contains a large amount of building works, and the proposal would not see any increase in this - merely a refurbishment and reuse of existing buildings.
• 6.3 Impact on Access/Parking

• 6.3.1 It is clear from the plans and photographs submitted in support of this application that parking is ample on the site. As the building and site generally have been used by various heavy goods vehicles in the past, it is expected that the future, less intensive, use proposed would not put any additional strain on the access or parking requirements of the site. The site is in a quiet area of the Island, not directly near to any main highway. Furthermore, DoI Highways have not commented on the application. It is therefore considered that there are no highway concerns.

6.4 The Visual Impact and Impact on the AHLV

• 6.4.1 Whilst the area sits within and Area of High Landscape Value and Coastal Significance, the only external alterations would be minor, being the recladding and window instalment/ roof light installation and general repair/refurbishment works to the buildings. There would be no additional increase in footprint, and the new usage of the buildings is likely to have a reduced visual impact due to the reduction in storage tanks and other associated equipment.

6.5 Environmental and Pollution Concerns

• 6.5.1 Similarly, the impact on the environment in term so noise and pollution would be limited and potentially decrease in comparison with the previous use of the buildings for sludge processing. The DEFA Environmental Protection Unit have assessed the site and have no objections to the proposal. With this in mind, there are no issues considered likely to arise with regard to the environment.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 For the above reasons the proposal is considered to comply with the aforementioned policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and is therefore recommended for approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 (Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material
• (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and
• (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated. 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 6(4) 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: 14.01.2019 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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