Cabinet Office

Oik Coonceil ny Shirveishee

CABINET OFFICE Government Office DOUGLAS Isle of Man IM1 3PN Direct Line (01624) 685280 Fax Number (01624) 685710 Email [email protected] CHIEF SECRETARY Mr Will Greenhow ACMA

27th April 2015 Planning Secretary Planning & Building Control Division Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Our Reference: DF14/0056 Dear Sir/Madam, TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE) (No2) ORDER 2013

| PA Ref: | 14 / 01235 / B | | --- | --- | | Applicant: | A V Craine and Sons Ltd | | Proposal: | Improvements to road verge | | Address: | Cringle Quarry, Ronague, Castletown IM9 4HJ |

I refer to the abovementioned planning application. In accordance with the Article 10(9) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, I herewith give notice of the decision as follows.

The application has been approved subject to the following condition(s);

1. The development hereby approved shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

Reason: To comply with Article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals. 2. Before development starts, details of the proposed stone walls shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority. The walls shall be constructed in accordance with the approved details.

Reason: To ensure that the walls do not have an adverse visual impact on their rural surroundings or on highway safety.

3. The stone substrate should be allowed to colonise naturally with heathland plants. Crushed Manx slate should be used as a filler in the areas intended for vegetation.

Reason: To ensure that the verge does not become colonised with weeds which could potentially impede visibility and would not be suitable for this heathland environment.

4. This approval relates to Drwg Nos 4448/L1 and 4448/S1 received on 27 October 2014, together with Drwg No 4448/P1 Revision A received on 18 December 2014.

In accordance with Article 10(10)(c) of the Order, please be advised that the decision of the Council of Ministers is binding and final (subject to the possibility of judicial review by petition of doleance).

Yours faithfully,

A Johnstone Planning Appeals Administrator On behalf of the Chief Secretary

Crown Division Government Offices Douglas Isle of Man 20 March 2015 To the Council of Ministers Case Reference DF14/0056 Planning Application 14/01235/B/ Application by A V Craine and Sons Ltd for planning approval for improvements to the road verge at Cringle Quarry, Ronague, Castletown.

1. I have the honour to report that on 9 March 2015 I carried out a site visit at the above location. The case is being made by written representations.
2. The application site includes highway land owned by the Department of Infrastructure. For that reason, the application has to be decided by the Council of Ministers, not the Planning Committee.

SITE DESCRIPTION AND THE PROPOSAL

3. Cringle Quarry is on the west side of the Ronague Road (A27) opposite the Cringle Plantation. The quarry's road frontage is some 100 m long, dominated by a 3 m high security fencing and gates. In front of the fencing is a verge that is 5 m wide at its widest point.
4. The applicant proposes to build stone walls on either side of the entrance gates. They would both be about 1 m high; one would be 20 m long, the other 6 m long. The walls would showcase the various types of Cringle Quarry stone, and one of them would incorporate the name of the quarry.
5. The verge along the site's road frontage would be stripped of its rough grass and landscaped with various grades of stone chippings interspersed with heather and other low-lying heathland plants. A 1 m wide path would be laid within the verge, and a stone kerb would delineate the edge of the carriageway.

REPRESENTATIONS RECEIVED

6. The applicant says that the existing verge is untidy and difficult to maintain. It needs to be changed so that it is easier to maintain the visibility sightlines on both sides of the entrance. The proposed stone chippings and heathland plants would achieve that aim. Stone kerbs would prevent vehicles being driven onto the verge, and the stone walls would present a tidy and identifiable entrance to the quarry.
7. Arbory Parish Commissioners have no comments to make.
8. Manx National Heritage (MNH) was initially concerned about the impact that the hard surfacing of the verge would have on drainage and wildlife. However, after discussion with the applicant, the plan was amended to show the planting of heathland species within the stone substrate, and MNH now supports the application subject to a condition that ensures that the stone substrate is allowed to colonise naturally with heathland plants. MNH has advised that the applicant

should approach Wildflowers of Mann for the plants. On no account should garden species of heather be introduced.

9. The Department of Infrastructure's Planning and Building Control Division has advised that the site is annotated on the Area Plan for the South as "Mineral Extraction". The quarry currently occupies an area of 6.4ha, but approval has been granted for a further 29ha. No planning policies have been brought to my attention.

ASSESSMENT

10. In my view, the main considerations in the assessment of this application are the visual effect of the proposed changes and the impact on highway safety.

11. Cringle Quarry is in a remote rural location. At present, the high security gates and fencing dominate the site's frontage. To my mind, they are at odds with the rural surroundings. I anticipate that, if sensitively designed, the 2 stone walls would distract the eye from the stark appearance of the security fencing behind. I also consider that the replacement of the verge's rough grass with stone chippings, interspersed with heathland plants, would not have a harmful visual effect. Indeed, the somewhat neglected appearance of the quarry's entrance might be improved.

12. So far as highway safety is concerned, I consider that the proposed alterations would be an improvement. The removal of the verge's rough grass and weeds would ensure that drivers always had good visibility to left and right when leaving the quarry. The proposed verge improvements, kerbing and stone walls would also make the quarry entrance more visible to approaching drivers, particularly in mist and fog. This, too, would be beneficial to highway safety.

RECOMMENDATION

13. For the above reasons, I recommend that planning approval be granted to A V Craine and Sons Ltd for improvements to the road verge at Cringle Quarry, Ronague, Castletown, as shown on Drwg Nos 4448/L1 and 4448/S1 received on 27 October 2014, together with Drwg No 4448/P1 Revision A received on 18 December 2014, subject to the following conditions:

1. The development hereby approved shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

Reason: To comply with Article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

2. Before development starts, details of the proposed stone walls shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority. The walls shall be constructed in accordance with the approved details.

Reason: To ensure that the walls do not have an adverse visual impact on their rural surroundings or on highway safety.

3. The stone substrate should be allowed to colonise naturally with heathland plants. Crushed Manx slate should be used as a filler in the areas intended for vegetation.

Reason: To ensure that the verge does not become colonised with weeds which could potentially impede visibility and would not be suitable for this heathland environment.

Ruth MacKenzie BA(Hons) MRTPI Independent Inspector