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7, The Castleward Green Douglas Isle of Man IM2 5PS

The Secretary to the Planning Committee Planning and Building Control Dept. of Infrastructure Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas IM1 2SF 2nd June 2015

PLANNING & BUILDING CONTROL RECEIVED ON 02 JUN 2015 DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Dear Sir

Planning Application 15/00536/B re 2 houses on The Castleward Green

We refer to the original application 14/01298/A for two houses on zoned land on Ballanard Road. We objected to the application as it included a proposal for an area of public open space on neighbouring land. There was no objection to building two houses fronting onto Ballanard Road and in keeping with neighbouring bungalows/houses as long as there was no access from The Castleward Green.

In the current proposal, it appears that Highways has opted to prefer access from The Castleward Green for some reason, although there was no objection to the original proposal as long as appropriate visibility splays were maintained. This changes our view materially as the application becomes an application for additional housing in The Castleward Green, an estate with medium sized houses in large plots. The proposed development goes against this and, potentially General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan, with what would be two 5-bedroomed houses with comparatively small gardens. In short, if one large house with a large garden was being proposed we would have no objection.

Our only other concern is that this is a delightful rural area which has been blighted by part-built and unbuilt houses for more than 7 years. The latest of these is a replacement for “Brickworks Cottage” just along the road that received planning permission some 4 or 5 years ago which has been partly built and virtually abandoned, for sale, in its current, unfinished, state. The Ballanard Woods development along the road in the other direction has never taken off some 8 years after approval was granted, but which is subject to periodic noisy groundworks at unsocial hours.

We would hope against hope that 15/00536/B will not become another part built site with no end in sight.

While writing we would seek to correct the reference in the applicants’ letter to the effect that their plot is used by local residents to “toilet dogs”. This comment, in an objection letter, referred to the site B area of Public open space in their original application and not the proposed site.

Yours faithfully

L.M. Keegan

S.J. Keegan