27 July 2010 · Planning Committee
Little Mill Garage, Little Mill Road, Onchan, Isle Of Man, IM4 5bd
The proposal involved demolishing an existing unsightly corrugated metal garage building (109 sqm footprint, 6m high) and replacing it with a smaller two-storey traditional-style dwelling (79 sqm footprint, 7.6m ridge height) on previously developed land in a rural area of Onchan.
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The site was accepted as previously developed land containing a significant amount of building with redundant use, following the Planning Inspector's findings from the dismissed appeal of prior applic…
General Policy 3
Requires no development outside zoned areas except on previously developed land with significant building where use is redundant, redevelopment reduces landscape impact, and results in improvements. Officer confirmed site meets definition (not agricultural/forestry/minerals), redundancy proven via prior appeal Inspector, smaller footprint/setback reduces impact of unsightly existing building, and traditional design improves visual appearance.
Environment Policy 7
Prohibits development harming watercourses unless mitigated; no development normally within 8m. Most of dwelling >8m from watercourse; minor corner encroachment acceptable due to small watercourse size and appropriate drainage phasing/pollution measures.
Policy O/RES/P/22 (Onchan Local Plan)
Onchan Local Plan policy against new dwellings outside designated areas, especially rural High Landscape Value. Overridden by more recent Strategic Plan GP3 exception for qualifying previously developed land.
Time limit
The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
Approved drawings
This approval relates to drawing no.s 0720/PL019, 0720/PL020 and 0720/PL021 date stamped the 19th May 2010.
Approve
Do not oppose, has no traffic management or road safety implications
Do not oppose / No Objection subject to conditions on watercourse works consent
Highways Division and Water & Sewerage Authority (Drainage Division) raised no objections, Onchan District Commissioners recommended approval, while local residents objected citing non-compliance with the Onchan Plan, ongoing commercial use, pollution risks, parking issues, and flood proximity.
Highways Division
No ObjectionDo not oppose has no traffic management, parking or road safety implications
Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority
Conditional No ObjectionNo Objection subject to the following conditions
Conditions requested: written consent is required from the Isle of Man Water & Sewerage Authority for any work carried out on any watercourses; contact the Drainage Division before work commences on site to discuss the proposed work on the riverbanks
Onchan District Commissioners
SupportThe Commissioners recommend that the application be APPROVED for planning purposes only.
The original application to demolish an existing garage and erect a single family dwelling at Little Mill Garage, Little Mill Road, Onchan was refused by the Planning Committee. The appellant argued the site was previously developed land with a redundant building, proposing a replacement that would improve appearance and have less environmental impact. The Council contended the site did not fully meet General Policy 3 criteria, the design was inappropriate for countryside, and drainage issues existed near a watercourse. The inspector found the site met policy tests for previously developed land and redundancy but concluded the larger scale house would not reduce landscape impact and would urbanise the rural area. Drainage concerns were resolvable by condition. The Minister accepted the inspector's recommendation to dismiss the appeal.
Precedent Value
Demonstrates strict application of GP3 'reduce impact' test requires not just improvement but demonstrably lesser visual prominence than existing; smaller schemes more likely to succeed on PDL in open space. Applicants must provide robust redundancy evidence but avoid over-scaling replacements.
Inspector: Graham Self MA MSc(Eng) FRTPI
