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22/00231/C Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 22/00231/C Applicant : Mr Ernest David Karran Proposal : Additional use of site for the storage of classic cars and for car hire Site Address : Unit 9 Balthane Park Balthane Ballasalla Isle Of Man IM9 2AX
Head of Development Management: Mr S Butler Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Planning Committee
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.04.2022 __
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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
C 2. The authorised uses of the site are any combination of class 2.2 (Light Industrial and Research & Development), class 2.3 (General Industrial) or class 2.4 (storage or distribution) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 2019 (or the equivalent class in any order that amends or replaces that Order) and also the additional use as an operating centre for car hire.
Reason: for the avoidance of doubt and to define the scope of the approval.
C 3. Any additional use of the site as an operating centre for car hire (as set out in condition 2) shall be in accordance with the approved details including the Planning Statement.
Reason: for the avoidance of doubt and to define the scope of the approval.
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22/00231/C Page 2 of 5
C 4. No approval is given for the storage of cars or anything else other than within the building, although this does not preclude the use of the outside spaces for staff or customer parking.
Reason: for the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of visual amenity
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The use is compatible with the overall industrial nature of the site and would provide for the continuation of employment opportunities in accordance with Strategic Plan Business Policy 1
Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following information received 01.03.2022: BL-001 - Location Plan BL-002 - Site Plan BL-003 - As Existing BL-004 - As Proposed
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
THE APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE AS IT COUDL BE CONSIDERED A DEPARTURE FROM THE PLAN AND IS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL
1.0 SITE 1.0 The site is a unit within an existing industrial estate.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application form indicates no operational development. The site is currently used for storage and wishes to change the use to an operating centre for car hire to meet requirements of the Road Traffic Licencing Committee for wedding cars (mainly Saturdays with drivers attending) and occasional client viewing. It is understood that this will be in addition to the existing use. No additional floorspace, changes to access, parking (4 spaces - excluding storage), levels, services, trees/hedge rows are proposed. The site is not within 9 m of a watercourse.
2.2 The supporting statement states, "Platinum Cars are seeking planning permission for change of use from the storage of classic cars, to an operating centre for hire of cars for special occasions. The existing site provides both staff welfare facilities and ample space, to ensure all hire vehicles operating from the site will be stored securely inside the building when not on hire. Due to the nature of catering for special events operating hours typically vary. Platinum Cars generally operate 7 days a week 09:00-17:00 however, the business predominantly operates for weekend events such as weddings. Platinum Cars currently employ three part time drivers and provide onsite parking provisions for all employees".
2.3 The applicant indicated (by phone - 04.04.22) that they had had the unit for a number of years and used it for car storage and had recently needed to start doing the hiring aspect from the location as well.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY
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22/00231/C Page 3 of 5
3.1 The site is allocated as Industrial in the Area Plan for the South. It is not within a Conservation Area or an area identified as being at risk of flooding. Employment Proposal 1 states,
"All industrial uses, other than small scale light industrial uses considered to be acceptable within the Mixed Use areas, or those uses deemed appropriate by the Isle of Man Strategic Plan Business Policy 7, will be located on the Industrial Estate at Balthane and where appropriate Ronaldsway and the Freeport".
3.2 In terms of the Strategic Plan (2016), the following policies are relevant:
Business Policy 5 states (in part), "On land zoned for industrial use, permission will be given only for industrial development or for storage and distribution..."
4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 04/00024/B - Development of Land to Provide 56 Industrial Starter Units including access, parking and landscaping. Approved subject to various conditions including C8 - "the use of the proposed units must be restricted to dry industrial processes only..."
5.0 OTHER CONSDIERATIONS 5.1 The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 2019 states that,
"Subject to paragraph (2), "industrial process" means the carrying on of any process, for or incidental to any of the following purposes, namely - (a) the making of any article or of part of any article; (b) the altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning, washing, packing or canning, or adapting for sale, or breaking up or demolition of any article; or (c) the getting, dressing or treatment of minerals; being a process carried on in the course of trade or business other than agriculture" (Article 4(1)).
5.2 The Use Classes include:
5.3 The Employment Land Review (ELR) was published in 2015 and updated in 2017. It indicates that there is significant supply of Industrial Land within the South. As part of the assessment it considers the demand for employment land arising from land used for industrial, light industrial, storage and distribution and out-of-town offices.
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 DOI (Highways) (17.03.22) - No significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. The Applicant is advised to consider the provision of electric vehicle charging points.
7.0 ASSESSMENT 7.1 The application was originally submitted as a change of use to allow car hire, however upon reviewing the planning history it was noted that the current use (storage) is in breach of the conditions of the current PA (04/00024/B) and so the description was amended to both regularise this element and allow for the additional car hire.
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22/00231/C Page 4 of 5
7.2 The main planning issues are:
7.3 The site is allocated for Industrial Use and the Strategic Plan makes it clear that storage is normally an acceptable use on such sites. The use for car hire is considered to be Sui Generis, although it related to the current storage use and is considered to be a suitable use within an Industrial Location.
7.4 It is important to safeguard the supply of Industrial Land from non-industrial uses, however the use for storage is considered appropriate on industrial land. The ELR indicates there is sufficient supply of employment land within the South, and allows for storage and distribution within this calculation (although it is noted that this is the UK use class term).
7.5 It is noted that the proposal will help the continued running of a business.
7.6 It is sometimes a concern that the use of industrial land for non-industrial uses will prejudice the use of other units in that site for genuine industrial uses as such uses may have some amenity impact (that being the difference between light industrial and general industrial) and if more sensitive uses are allowed this may then result in objections for future development of nearby units for industrial uses. This is not considered a significant concern in relation to the proposed use.
7.7 The comments from DOI Highways are noted and relied upon in relation to highway matters
8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The use is compatible with the overall industrial nature of the site and would provide for the continuation of employment opportunities in accordance with Strategic Plan Business Policy 1.
9.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 9.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
9.2 The decision maker must determine: o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status __
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I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to that body by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Committee has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : Permitted
Committee Meeting Date: 1 1.04.2022
Signed : S BUTLER Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).
Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below
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