3 December 2010 · Senior Planning Officer (delegated under Article 3(13) of the Town and Country (Development Procedure) Order 2005)
24, Groudle View, Onchan, Isle Of Man, IM3 2ey
The proposal involved constructing a brick dwarf wall (400-500mm high) with intermittent 1.8m high pillars spaced 2.1-2.5m apart, topped with fencing matching existing timber fences, along the site's southern boundary facing Groudle Road.
Click a button above to find applications similar to this one.
See how this application compares to similar ones — policies, conditions, and outcomes side by side.
The officer determined that the proposed brick wall and fence would be overly prominent and urban in style, contrasting sharply with the rural sod hedges on adjacent properties along Groudle Road, whi…
General Policy 2
Requires development to respect surroundings (b), not adversely affect landscape character (c), and incorporate existing landscape features like sod banks (f). Officer assessed the wall/fence as urban-style and prominent against rural sod hedges, failing c by harming transition to countryside and f by replacing removed sod hedge instead of reinstating it.
Onchan Local Plan 2000 - Land between Groudle Road and Groudle Glen
Requires sod hedge boundary along Groudle Road for low-density parkland housing. Officer noted adjacent sites adhere to this; proposal's wall/fence would conflict, undermining rural character at the site's edge.
Do not oppose
approved
The original application for erection of a boundary wall/fence at 24 Groudle View, Onchan was refused by the Senior Planning Officer due to conflict with General Policy 2(c) and (f) of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, as it would be overly prominent, adversely affect the rural character, and fail to incorporate the sod hedge. The appellant argued the area has an urbanised ethos, security needs, no original conditions on the sod hedge, and support from Onchan Commissioners and Highways. The inspector conducted a site visit, assessed the proposal's urban appearance as out of keeping with the semi-rural character at the urban-countryside transition, rejected claims of changed circumstances, and upheld policy requirements for sod banks. The Minister accepted the inspector's recommendation to dismiss the appeal on 7th April 2011 and directed reinstatement of the sod bank.
Precedent Value
Reinforces strict enforcement of sod bank retention at urban-rural edges per GP2(f); future applicants must demonstrate material changes or propose policy-compliant alternatives like fences behind reinstated hedges. Unexplained consultee reversals undermined support.
Inspector: Graham Self MA MSc FRTPI
