Erection of 4-bedroomed bungalow, (agricultural worker's dwelling), and erection of agricultural barn and the construction of a private access road.

Refusal Reasons

• ✗Housing Policy 7 part (a) of General Policy 3 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 allow for the construction of new dwellings for agricultural workers where an essential need for such dwellings is established. It is concluded that such an essential need has not been demonstrated in this case such that the application is contrary to these two policies.
• ✗The isolated position of the dwelling within the countryside is not considered appropriate and would harm the character and quality of the landscape. As such, the proposal is concluded to represent an unwarranted development that is detrimental to the amenity of the countryside contrary to the provision of Environment Policies 1 and Housing Policy 9 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.
• ✗Given the limited amount of acreage owned by the applicant, the fact that the occupant would be a tenant farmer with limited term security of tenure and where the tenant farmer would not appear to be in need of a dwelling, in addition to the fact that there have been farm dwellings previously associated with some of the farmland being farmed by the applicant, the proposal would fail to accord with General Policy 3, Paragraph 8.9.3, and Housing Policy 7. No justification has been made in the application to explain why an additional agricultural workers dwelling should be provided to service the farms currently operated by the applicants, given that significant proportions of the acreage available to the applicant are already associated with farm dwellings.
• ✗In the absence of agricultural need sufficient to justify the proposed development, the proposed dwelling and barn, and particularly the proposed access lane leading to them and hardstanding area of farm yard would introduce built development in an area not currently so characterised, in conflict with the Landscape Character Appraisal for Braaid (D10) contained within the Area Plan for the East - which refers to the need to conserve and enhance the character, quality and distinctiveness of the area, with its open large pastoral fields. In addition the development would be contrary to Environment Policies 1 which protect the countryside for its own sake and where the protection of the character of the landscape will be the most important consideration and Environment Policy 15 and Housing Policy 9 which require new development to be built within or next to existing development.
• ✗The design of the dwelling proposed does not reflect the wording of policies 1-7 of Planning Circular 3/91 ('Guide to the Design of Residential Development in the Countryside'), and also fails to comply with the wording of Housing Policy 10 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, which requires agricultural dwellings to generally follow those seven policies of the Circular. Insufficient justification has been made in the application to explain why the policies of the Circular or Housing Policy 10 should be set aside.