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Application No.: 15/00824/B Applicant: Robert Ninian Ferguson Proposal: Installation of a mini bulk gas tank Site Address: Moaney Moar House Corlea Road Ballasalla Isle of Man IM9 3BA Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken: 27.08.2015 Site Visit: 27.08.2015 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation
1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is represents the curtilage of an existing dwelling situated on the south eastern side of the Corlea Road (B39) that links the Cringle Reservoir with the A3 Ballamodha / Foxdale Road. The property is in basic form a traditional Manx farmhouse, but has had a number of unfortunate extensions and alterations undertaken to it in the past. Within the site is also a two-storey barn, and the access to the site is between these two buildings that line the highway. - 1.2 The highway is set into a hillside that falls down from the northwest; as such, the site itself falls away in this direction. There are extensive views from within the site in a southern / southeastern direction, but views of the site from these directions are fairly long-distance and are such to mean the site blends into the countryside somewhat.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the siting half-tonne gas tank with associated landscaping within the application site. No volume storage is given for the gas tank, which would be 2.5m in width and would sit, including its concrete base, 1.3m above the ground. The tank itself is only 0.8m in height. The proposed landscaping is not significantly detailed, but does show the gas tank being sat in a small depression within the land while an Z-shaped retaining wall is proposed to sit around the tank at a distance of a minimum of 1m. The wall's height is, at its greatest, 750mm above ground floor level and therefore benefits from permitted development rights in any case; it is arguable as to whether any of the associated landscaping works, including the concrete base, are themselves 'development', but for completeness will be assessed in any case.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Full planning approval was granted for various window alterations sought under PA 10/00649/B. - 3.2 There have not been any applications submitted in the vicinity considered of direct material relevance to the determination of the current application, albeit that there have been a number of applications of the kind traditionally found in the countryside - such as
applications for stables, replacement dwellings, new field accesses, erection of a wind turbine, erection of agricultural buildings and various conversions of existing outbuildings and extensions to existing dwellings.
4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 The site lies within an area of "white land" as zoned on the Area Plan for the South's Constraints Map. The Landscape Assessment Areas identifies the site as falling within an area of Incised Slopes, with the accompanying Written Statement providing some implications arising from the Landscape Character Assessment for this particular area of the Island:
4.2 Also worth noting is the wording of Environment Policy 1 of the Strategic Plan: "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."
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Malew Parish Commissioners offered no objection to the proposal on 07.08.2015.
6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 Environment Policy 1 seems to suggest that, where a proposed development would not have an adverse impact on the countryside (howsoever that 'impact' might be defined and then assessed), then there is no demonstrable harm from the proposal such that a favourable view of the proposal should be taken. - 6.2 The 'implications' regarding the Landscape Character Assessment are helpful in assessing this. The existing dwelling is no longer of traditional form and there are also a significant number of telecommunications aerials and equipment there, which do not help reduce its visual impact. (It is to be noted that this equipment appears to have been in place for a significantly long time.) - 6.3 The positioning of a gas tank, albeit a fairly large one, would not add an unduly harmful feature into the site or wider landscape in which the dwelling sits. While the existing aerials and related equipment could be moved at some point in the future, the gas tank would be suitably located away from the highway, and lower than it, to reduce its visual impact. The tank, while not especially attractive, is of fairly simple and unobtrusive form and mass and in this represents the kind of structure found in the countryside from time to time. From further afield, if it could be seen at all it would be read very much against the existing buildings and partially against its proposed retaining wall, which, as noted, benefits from permitted development rights in any case. - 6.4 Any landscaping required for the siting of the tank would, on the basis of the plans submitted, have no appreciable impact on the tank's visual impact.
6.5 It is also worth noting that any filling of the tank can only be undertaken if it can be visible from the highway. While this should not form a reason to offer no objection, it does suggest a reasonable approach is needed - but, in any case, the proposal is not considered likely to "adversely affect the countryside" as outlined in EP1, which, in this case, is considered to be the key assessment point associated with the proposal.
7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 In view of the lack of harm that is considered likely to arise from the implementation of the proposal, it is recommended that planning approval be granted.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.08.2015 Conditions and Notes for Approval: C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.
Reason: To comply with article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
The development hereby approved relates to the following plans and information, datestamped as having been received 22nd July 2015: MG-MBT-001-1 and MG-MBT-001-2.
I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to the Head of Development Management.
Determining officer
Signed : J CHANCE. Jennifer Chance Head of Development Management
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