DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 24/00545/B Applicant: Miss Geraldine Watterson Proposal: Erection of a detached garden room Site Address: Cronk Moar Farm Shore Road Strandhall Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 4PL Planning Officer: Russell Williams Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.08.2024

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.

• C 2. The gardenroom / home gym hereby approved shall not be used other than in association with Cronk Moar Farm, as a gardenroom / home gym ancillary to the use of the dwellinghouse and for no other purpose.

REASON: The impact of the proposal has been assessed solely in relation to the additional use as a gardenroom / home gym. Any alternative uses will require further consideration in the interest of the impact upon the countryside.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposal complies with General Policy 2 and will not give rise to any significant adverse impacts upon the character and appearance of the countryside.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 13 June 2024:

Location Plan - residential footprint Location Plan - extent of ownership

Site Plan - existing Site Plan - proposed Photographs Elevations Plan Garden Room Visual Materials data sheet - roof Materials data sheet - walls _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site comprises the residential garden associated to Cronk Moar Farm, Strandhall. - 1.2 The property is a former farm with a large detached dwelling that has been renovated and a stable building with ménage to the northwest. - 1.3 The site is located northeast of the dwelling and is a grassed and somewhat unkept area of garden that is enclosed by stone walling.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks approval for the erection of a single storey garden room building to be used as a home gym. - 2.2 The proposed building would have a mono pitch roof and will be finished externally in grey cladding. - 2.3 The building would measure 6.6m x 4.0m with a maximum roof height of 2.548m. - 2.4 Rainwater will be collected via guttering and stored in waterbutts, with excess water sent to a soakaway.

- 3.0 PLANNING POLICY LOCAL PLAN

3.1 The site lies within an area designated as "Not for Development" on the Area Plan for the South. The site is not within a Conservation Area, Area of High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance or a Flood Risk Zone. - 3.2 In terms of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, paragraph 8.12.2 states, "As there is a general policy against development in the Island's countryside, it is important that where development exists, either in an historic or recently approved form, it should not, when altered or extended detract from the amenities of the countryside." - 3.3 There are a number of other relevant policies within the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, as summarised below.

• General Policy 2 sets out general 'Development Control' considerations which are arguably relevant even where a proposal is not in accordance with the land-use designation including design (respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design

• and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them), wider impact (the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality) and parking/access/highway safety.
• General Policy 3 indicates development will not be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development on the appropriate Area Plan other than a number of stated exception, which do not include the erection of domestic outbuildings.

Environment Policy 1 seeks to prevent development which would adversely affect the countryside other than in exceptional circumstances.

- 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The application site benefits from the following planning history: No relevant history. - 5.0 CONSULTATIONS

5.1 Arbory and Rushen Commissioners - Support the proposals

5.2 DoI Highways Services commented - No interest registered - 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS

6.1 No comments have been received. 7.0 ASSESSMENT

7.1 An assessment against relevant planning policies and material considerations is required. In the case of this application the proposal is for a domestic garden building within the residential curtilage of the dwelling. The site is designated on the Area Plan for the South as not being for any particular use or purpose and is within the countryside. As such, there is a general presumption against development as set out in General Policy 3.

7.2 Additional protection to the countryside is provided by Environment Policy 1. This states that "Development which would adversely affect the countryside will not be permitted unless there is an over-riding national need in land use planning terms which outweighs the requirement to protect these areas and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative." Environment Policy 1 therefore establishes that development will not be permitted if it would adversely affect the countryside. - 7.3 The main issue to be considered in the assessment of this application is the impact of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the countryside. - 7.4 In assessing the impact of the development, consideration has to be given to the scale, siting, appearance and visual prominence of the proposed development. - 7.5 The proposed outbuilding is limited in its size and is set within the domestic curtilage, which is appropriate. The building relates well to the dwellinghouse and other, larger agricultural and equestrian buildings which are more prominent in the landscape, - 7.6 It is not anticipated that the building will be highly visible in the wider landscape, as there are no nearby highways, rights of way or other publicly accessible vantage points from which the development can be seen. - 7.7 Having regard to the above considerations, it is considered that the proposed development will not give rise to any material harm to the character and appearance of the landscape. There will be no impact upon trees, ecology or amenity and, therefore, the proposals will not undermine the strategic objectives of Policies GP3, EP1 and complies with

General Policy 2. For the reasons set out it is therefore recommended that the proposed development be permitted.

- 8.0 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 above who should be given Interested Person Status.

8.3 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot 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: 06.08.2024 Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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