31 December 2007 · Delegated - Director of Planning and Building Control (M. I. McCauley)
2 Knocksharry Cottages, Ramsey Road, Knocksharry, Peel, Isle Of Man, IM5 2af
The proposal involves converting a small detached summer house/chalet in the rear garden of 2 Knocksharry Cottages, a semi-detached dwelling on the A4 coast road in Knocksharry, German parish, into a beauty salon offering treatments and massages for up to three part-time staff and 15-20 clients per week.
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The officer noted conflict with Business Policy 10 (retail in town centres) and Policy 7 (offices similarly), and Environment Policy 16 (redundant rural buildings of merit only), as the chalet lacks h…
Business Policy 10
Requires retail in established town/village centres. Officer found proposal conflicts as site rural, not near settlement/transport, but precedents overrode strict application for small-scale use.
Business Policy 7
Requires offices in town/village centres. Similar tension to BP10; rural chalet not suitable but low-impact home business precedents allowed approval with controls.
Environment Policy 16
Permits redundant rural buildings of historical/architectural/social/visual interest for other uses. Chalet lacks such merit; policy test failed but outweighed by appeals.
Time limit for use
The use must be taken up within four years of the date of this notice in order for this approval to remain valid after that time.
Approved plans
This permission relates to the use of the summer house as shown in the plans and drawings submitted on 25th October, 2007 for the purposes of a beauty salon, operated in association with the occupation of 2 Knocksharry Cottages.
Hours of operation
The salon may be operational only between the hours of 0900hrs and 1800hrs Monday to Friday (with one evening each week where appointments may be taken up to 2100hrs) and 0900hrs to 1300hrs on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays.
no objection
Do not oppose subject to off-street parking not removing spaces from main dwelling and salon ancillary to dwelling
Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside & Environment objects to the change of use citing countryside intrusion and potential for extensions; Isle of Man Water Authority requests a standard water connection condition; German Parish Commissioners have no objection.
Key concern: Commercial uses should be encouraged in existing town centres, not dotted randomly about the countryside
Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside & Environment
ObjectionThe Society OBJECTS; Commercial uses such as this should be encouraged in existing town centres, not dotted randomly about the countryside.; Furthermore it seems unlikely that a mere summerhouse can provide all the reasonably necessary facilities and the development will lead to further extensions/sheds etc.
Isle of Man Water Authority
Conditional No ObjectionThe Authority wish to express their interest in the following planning applications, and request that a condition of planning be that the applicant must contact the Authority to ensure that a connection is obtained for water supply purposes
Conditions requested: condition of planning be that the applicant must contact the Authority to ensure that a connection is obtained for water supply purposes, or an amendment to the existing supply under the terms of the Water Supply Byelaws; For single connections to a water main (i.e. a single dwelling) the applicant should contact IoMWA Customer Services, tel. 69 59 49
German Parish Commissioners
No ObjectionMy Commissioners have no objection to this application.
The appeals involved refusals primarily on highway safety, parking, visibility, residential amenity, and appropriateness in residential areas for proposals like converting a garage to an osteopathic treatment room (Long Mynd, Glen Vine), garage to personal training gym (Ard Reayrt, Laxey), and continued use of a room as a beauty salon (Sartfell Road, Douglas). Appellants argued low traffic generation, adequate parking/access improvements, no neighbour objections in some cases, and precedents for similar uses. Inspectors (or Minister) analysed highway safety, amenity impacts, and policy flexibility, finding low-intensity uses acceptable with conditions in allowed cases but unacceptable in the inspector's view for Sartfell due to disturbance in a quiet cul-de-sac. Final outcomes favoured small-scale, controlled operations personal to occupants with time/use restrictions.
Precedent Value
Small-scale, ancillary home professional uses (osteopathy, training, beauty) can succeed on appeal in residential areas if traffic low, parking adequate, and conditions control scale/personal use, especially with highway improvements; stricter in quiet cul-de-sacs—provide evidence of no actual disturbance and accept tight conditions.
Inspector: Terrence Kemmann-Lane; Graham F Self; Michael Hurley
