29 April 2025 · Planning Committee (signed by Presenting Officer P Visigah; formal decision by Director of Planning and Building Control J Chance)
Barn Adj To Field 134413, Lezayre Church Road, Churchtown, Ramsey, Isle Of Man, IM7 2an
The proposal involved converting an existing barn (20.24m x 11.8m, 239m² floor area, 2.77m eaves to 5.27m ridge height) into a 4-bedroom dwelling with ensuites, lounge/kitchen, utility, and integral garage, using larch cladding, composite roof panels, and anthracite aluminium windows/doors.
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The officer concluded the proposal fails Housing Policy 11 (HP11) as the barn is not substantially intact or structurally capable of renovation without excessive rebuilding, evidenced by leaning walls…
General Policy 3
Sets strict exceptions for countryside development outside settlements, requiring compliance with HP11/HP4 for rural housing/conversions. Proposal fails as barn needs significant reconstruction and lacks significance, not qualifying as acceptable countryside conversion.
Housing Policy 11
Requires redundant rural buildings to be substantially intact, structurally capable of renovation without excessive rebuilding, and of architectural/historic/social interest. Fails on structural defects (leaning walls, poor foundations, saturation) needing rebuilding, and no interest (utilitarian post-war build); para 8.10 prohibits disguised replacements. Meets redundancy, size, compatibility, services.
Housing Policy 4
Restricts new countryside housing to settlements or strict exceptions like HP11 conversions. Fails as barn does not qualify under HP11 due to structural issues and no interest, contradicting sustainable growth and rural protection aims.
General Policy 2
General development considerations including visual/landscape impact, amenities, highways, trees/ecology, drainage. Acceptable on neighbour amenity (30m+ separation, screening), highways, ecology, drainage; materials improve but change from original.
Strategic Policy 2 - Priority for new development to identified towns and villages
Priority for new development to identified towns/villages. Site in open countryside outside boundaries.
Spatial Policy 5
Design and visual impact promoting positive contribution. Materials enhance rural integration but utilitarian origins lack vernacular/innovation.
Environment Policy 1
Protection of countryside/ecology. Proposal improves visual integration in high landscape value area.
No significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking. Vehicular access, parking and turning areas should be conditioned.
Support the conversion of the redundant storage barn... unanimously.
No obvious smoke nuisance risk... flue height should help reduce this risk.
Content with bat assessment (negligible/low potential, no mitigation needed); checks for nesting birds required; content with landscaping.
Highway Services, DEFA Environmental Health, DEFA Biodiversity, and Lezayre Parish Commissioners raised no objections to the barn conversion (with conditions noted), while two neighbouring residents strongly objected due to privacy loss, overlooking, noise, and overdevelopment concerns.
Key concern: privacy loss and overlooking into neighbouring properties
Highway Services HDC
Conditional No ObjectionAfter reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking.
Conditions requested: vehicular access, parking and turning areas should be conditioned to be implemented before first occupation of the proposals
DEFA Environmental Health
No ObjectionWhile the plans don’t appear to indicate an obvious risk of a smoke nuisance and the height of the flue should help reduce the risk of a nuisance being caused to neighbouring properties, the following should be considered;
DEFA Biodiversity
Conditional No ObjectionThe Ecosystem Policy Team can confirm that the Manx Bat Group’s (MBG) Preliminary Assessment for bats dated March 2024 is all in order and that a suitable level of assessment has been undertaken.; responsible working methods should be followed, as detailed in Appendix I of the MBG’s report (page 4).
Conditions requested: landscaping should be secured via a condition on approval; thorough checks for nesting birds in and around the building must be made prior to works taking place. If nesting birds are present then the works must stop and the Ecosystem Policy Team contacted on 651577
Lezayre Parish Commissioners
SupportApproved unanimous; The Commissioners note the need for the management of water from the spring at this property which will need to be diverted away from neighbouring properties.
