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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No. : 24/00429/C Applicant : Ferncroft Environmental (IOM) Ltd Proposal : Change of use to office and vehicle compound for storage and distribution (retrospective) Site Address : Unit 10 Ronaldsway Farm Airport Road Derbyhaven Isle Of Man

: Graham Northern Photo Taken : 30.04.2024 Site Visit : 30.04.2024 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 26.06.2024 __

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The use of the site is considered acceptable in principle and does not result in any significant amenity, highway safety, ecology or landscape impact and such complies with Environment Policy 4, 5 11, and 16 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the following drawings: Drawing F/6123/3 Location Plan Received 10.04.24 Drawing F/6123/1A Proposed Plans Received 10.04.24

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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE SITE 1.1 The site relates to a building on the Ronaldsway Farm site off the A12 coastal road, and lying opposite the Marine Hatchery and to the south of the airport.

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1.2 Other buildings within the site include a fire station and flight training school. mAnx paving and Slate utilise a building to the north. 1.3 The site is in operation by Ferncroft Environmental for licensed Asbestos removal.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Retrospective permission is sought for Change of use of the building and its curtilage to office and vehicle compound for storage and distribution. 2.2 The plans show the building subject to the operation and also the parking area around it where skips, Lorries and decontamination units are parked.

PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The building and its curtilage is within an area not designated for a particular purpose on the Area Plan for the South (2013). It also falls within an area designated on the Landscape Character Appraisal as Rugged Coast and as part of a designated Wildlife Site, an ASSI, a bird sanctuary and a draft area of ecological importance.

3.2 The site does however sit within an area washed over by development to the north of the A12 Coastal Road which includes the conversion of some old farm buildings for other uses with a Manx Paving and Slate to the building to the north. Given the proposals relate to an existing site with an existing building present the following policies are therefore important:

3.3 Strategic Plan 3.4 Environmental Policy 16 sets out that permission can be permitted for small scale commercial/ industrial uses of rural buildings under certain circumstances as follows; Environment Policy 16: The use of existing rural buildings for new purposes such as tourist, or small-scale industrial/commercial use may be permitted where: a) it is demonstrated that the building is no longer required for its original purpose and where the building is substantially intact and structurally capable of renovation; b) the reuse of the building will result in the preservation of fabric which is of historic, architectural, or social interest or is otherwise of visual attraction; c) it is demonstrated that the building could accommodate the new use without requiring extension or adverse change to appearance or character; d) there would not be unacceptable implications in terms of traffic generation; e) 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 f) the use of existing buildings involves significant levels of redevelopment to accommodate the new use, the benefits secured by the proposal in terms of impact on the environment and the rural economy shall outweigh the continued impact of retaining the existing buildings on site.

3.5 Environment Policies 1 and 2 protect the countryside for its own sake and place importance on the impact of development on the character and quality of the landscape.

3.6 Environment Policy 4 protects acknowledged sites of ecological importance and EP5 makes provision for development which could adversely affect such a site to be approved where conditions of agreements are imposed which would minimise disturbance, conserve and manage its ecological interest and where damage is unavoidable, provide new or replacement habitats so that the loss to the total ecological resource is mitigated.

3.7 Environment Policy 11: Coastal development will only be permitted where it would not: i) increase or transfer the risk of flooding or coastal erosion through its impact on natural coastal processes; ii) prejudice the capacity of the coast to form a natural sea defence; and iii) increase the need for additional coast protection works except where necessary to protect existing investment or development.

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

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4.1 The site has not been the subject of any previous applications.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Malew Parish Commissioners - No objections 01.05.2024 5.2 Highway Services - After reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking, as the site is in an industrial area suitable for the proposed operation 19.04.2024

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issues in this case are whether the proposed use is acceptable in principle, whether there are any neighbouring amenity impacts and whether the proposals result in any highway safety concerns.

Principle 6.2 The site lies within an area that is industrial commercial with Manx Paving and Slate in the building to the rear offering a not too dissimilar type of use. Environmental Policy 16 allows for the conversion of rural buildings to commercial industrial use subject to the following criteria: a) it is demonstrated that the building is no longer required for its original purpose and where the building is substantially intact and structurally capable of renovation; b) the reuse of the building will result in the preservation of fabric which is of historic, architectural, or social interest or is otherwise of visual attraction; c) it is demonstrated that the building could accommodate the new use without requiring extension or adverse change to appearance or character; d) there would not be unacceptable implications in terms of traffic generation; e) 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 f) the use of existing buildings involves significant levels of redevelopment to accommodate the new use, the benefits secured by the proposal in terms of impact on the environment and the rural economy shall outweigh the continued impact of retaining the existing buildings on site.

6.3 The building forms one of the pre-existing old original farm buildings with the others already in industrial/ commercial use and as such given there is no existing farm the building is no longer required and the proposals meet category (A). The proposals do result in the buildings reuse and as such comply with (B). The proposals do not result in the extension or expansion of the building or its curtilage (C). Highways raise no objections and the road is designed for the commercial users (D). The conversion has not impacted on the viability of a centre (E) The use generates employment and as such is considered economically beneficial to it being redundant (F).

6.4 As such the proposals are considered to comply and are acceptable in principle subject to the other considerations considered below.

Neighbouring Amenity 6.5 The building is situated in an area of other industrial/ commercial uses and as such the proposals are not considered to result in any significant detrimental impact.

6.6 The site is a considerable distance from the nearest residential properties in Derbyhaven and as such the distance means the use is not considered to result in any significant amenity impact.

Highway Safety 6.7 Highways have raised no objections and comment that the highway network is designed accommodate this type of industrial/ commercial use as that is the use of the wider site. The proposals are not as such considered to result in any adverse impact on highway safety.

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Other Matters 6.8 Given the wider uses surrounding and that the application use relates to an existing building and its curtilage it is not considered that there are any significant landscape or ecological impacts arising from the proposals and that the use complies with Environmental policy 4, 5 and 11.

CONCLUSION 6.9 The use of the site is considered acceptable in principle and does not result in any significant amenity, highway safety, ecology or landscape impact and such complies with Environment Policy 4, 5 11, and 16 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

7.1 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.

7.2 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 above 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 and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.

Decision Made : Permitted

Date: 27.06.2024

Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON

Jason Singleton

Principal Planner

Customer note

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