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Application No.: 25/90456/B Applicant: Mr Graham Watterson Proposal: Erection of a new cattle barn Site Address: Chibbanagh Farm St Marks Road Braaid Isle Of Man IM4 2AJ Planning Officer: Russell Williams Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 31.07.2025 _________________________________________________________________
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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.
Reason: To ensure the development has an acceptable visual impact upon the landscape and in relation to the excavation and retention of minerals on the site.
Reason: The countryside is protected from development and an exception is being made on the basis of agricultural need. As such the building must be used for the purposes for which it is approved.
The application has demonstrated a clear need for the proposed cattle building, which is considered to be of an acceptable scale, design and finished appearance. The development will not adversely impact upon the character or appearance of the landscape, amenity in the wider area of minerals that may be present on the site. The development therefore complies with General Policies 2 and 3 and Environment Policies 1 and 15.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped 2 May 2025:
Right to Appeal It is recommended that the following organisations should NOT be given the Right to Appeal: Marown Commissioners No objection DOI Highway Services No objection
________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 Chibbanagh Farm is an existing operational farm located at Braaid, within the open countryside. - 1.2 The applicant owns approximately 140 acres of agricultural land, supplemented by a further 100 to 140 acres under lease agreements depending on operational needs. The farm currently supports a livestock holding of over 300 cattle, in addition to sheep and other livestock. - 1.3 The application site is set back from the public highway and is set to the rear (north) or an existing range of modern agricultural buildings. It is accessed via an established farm track and is located adjacent to other agricultural buildings within the farm complex. The ground on which the development is situated is level to the immediate rear of the existing building and then ascends to the north.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is for the construction of a purpose-designed livestock barn that will The barn will be a modern portal frame construction that aligns with best practice in agricultural design.
2.1 The building will comprise a galvanised steel portal frame, with side elevations clad with Yorkshire boarding, allowing for natural ventilation. Front and rear elevations will utilise green plastisol-coated box profile steel sheeting. The base of the building walls will incorporate precast concrete panels to a height of approximately 2 metres. The roof will be covered with fibre cement profiled sheeting, including translucent panels to maximise natural daylight within the interior
2.3 Internally, the barn will include designated cattle pens, a wide central feed passage to allow machinery access, dedicated scrape passages for waste collection, and a bedding store. - 2.4 The building will have maximum dimensions of 36.5m x 19.0m with a ridge height of
3.1 The application site is located within an area of 'White Space', open countryside under the Isle of Man 1982 Development Plan. 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 Regarding the Strategic Plan General Policy 2 is considered applicable, which states: "Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:
3.3 General Policy 3 states that "Development will not be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development on the appropriate Area Plan with the exception of: (f) building and engineering operations which are essential for the conduct of agriculture or forestry;" - 3.4 Environment Policy 1 states that "The countryside and its ecology will be protected for its own sake. For the purposes of this policy, the countryside comprises all land which is outside the settlements defined in Appendix 3 at A.3.6 or which is not designated for future development on an Area Plan. 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." - 3.5 Environment Policy 15 states "Where the Department is satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building (including a dwelling), sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside, and that the impact of this development including buildings, accesses, servicing etc. is acceptable, such development must be sited as close as is practically possible to existing building groups and be appropriate in terms of scale, materials, colour, siting and form to ensure that all new developments are sympathetic to the landscape and built environment of which they will form a part.
Only in exceptional circumstances will buildings be permitted in exposed or isolated areas or close to public highways and in all such cases will be subject to appropriate landscaping. The
nature and materials of construction must also be appropriate to the purposes for which it is intended. Where new agricultural buildings are proposed next to or close to existing residential properties, care must be taken to ensure that there is no unacceptable adverse impact through any activity, although it must be borne in mind that many farming activities require buildings which are best sited, in landscape terms, close to existing building groups in the rural landscape."
5.1 The following previously submitted planning applications are considered to be relevant to this application:
Erection of an agricultural building - 07/01207/B - APPROVED The erection of a cattle shed - 04/01744/B - APPROVED The erection of an extension to an existing agricultural building - 05/01522/B - APPROVED 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS
6.1 The following Statutory Consultees have been consulted and their responses can be summarised as follows: Marown Commissioners - No objection.
DOI 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 access and internal layout is acceptable for the proposals.
DEFA Energy Policy Team - No objection.
6.2 No representations have been received from members of the public. - 7.0 ASSESSMENT
7.1 The key considerations in the determination of the application are the principle of development and the impact upon landscape character and minerals.
7.2 Further to General Policy 3, Environment Policy 15 requires states that the Planning Authority needs to be satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for the extensions, sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside.
7.3 The Agent has provided details relating to the need for the new livestock shed, which in part results from the applicant having lost access to previously rented land and a livestock shed used for over wintering up to 100 cattle. - 7.4 The proposed barn is located immediately adjacent to the contiguous built-up area of the main yard and existing buildings and is clearly a large holding. On the basis of the information submitted the principle of the development is considered to comply with General Policy 3(f). LANDSCAPE IMPACT - 7.5 The proposed building will be located immediately to the rear of an existing range of modern farm buildings. The building will match the eaves and ridge height of the existing buildings and so visually it will relate well to the existing yard area. - 7.6 The ground on which it will be located sloped uphill to the north and this will necessitate an element of cut and fill in order for the finished floor level of the proposed barn to match that of the existing barn, which is indicated on the submitted drawings. Notwithstanding, no details of existing and proposed levels have been provided and so it is considered reasonable and has been agreed to by the agent, to require the submission of levels prior to the commencement of the development. The Agent has requested such a condition and this has been agreed to by Officers. - 7.7 The combination of setting the building into the rising ground through cut and fill, and the proposed combination of finished materials to the external walls and roof, will ensure that the proposed building has only a minimal visual impact upon the character and appearance of the landscape and will relate well toe existing buildings. The proposal complies with General Policy 2 and Environment Policies 1 and 15 in this regard. IMPACT UPON MINERALS - 7.8 The observations of the Energy Policy Team are noted in relation to the potential impact of the development upon minerals on the site. The Agent has subsequently confirmed that no soil or mineral swill be removed from the curtilage of the applicant's landholding. - 7.9 It is considered reasonable to secure confirmation of this matter by conditioning a Method Statement associated to the cut and fill, which will set out how soil/.minerals will reused and retained on the landholding, thereby avoiding the need to gain the relevant license and make royalty payments for their removal off site. The Agent has requested such a condition and this has been agreed to by Officers. - 7.10 Having regard to these matters, the development will not impact upon the presence of minerals on the site.
8.1 The application has demonstrated a clear need for the proposed cattle building, which is considered to be of an acceptable scale, design and finished appearance. The development will not adversely impact upon the character or appearance of the landscape, amenity in the wider area of minerals that may be present on the site. The development therefore complies with General Policies 2 and 3 and Environment Policies 1 and 15. It is therefore recommended that planning permission is granted. - 9.0 RIGHT TO APPEAL AND RIGHT TO GIVE EVIDENCE
9.1 The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 sets out the process for determining planning applications (including appeals). It sets out a Right to Appeal (i.e. to submit an appeal against a planning decision) and a Right to Give Evidence at Appeals (i.e. to participate in an appeal if one is submitted).
9.2 Article A10 sets out that the right to appeal is available to:
9.3 Article 8(2)(a) requires that in determining an application, the Department must decide who has a right to appeal, in accordance with the criteria set out in article A10. - 9.4 The Order automatically affords the Right to Give Evidence to the following (no determination is required):
9.5 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 the Right to Appeal.
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 and/or rights to appeal.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 05.08.2025 Determining Officer
Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner
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