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                                      22/00419/B                                     Page  1  of  6

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. 22/00419/B Applicant : Mrs Catherine Groom Proposal Installation of 14 ground mounted solar PV panels Site Address Gollane House Clenagh Road Sandygate Ramsey Isle Of Man IM7 3AF

Case Officer :

Mrs Vanessa Porter Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level Planning Committee

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation 28.06.2022

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 Solar panels and the support units hereby approved shall be removed and the ground restored to its former condition in the event that it is no longer used or required for renewable and alternative energy generation for a period exceeding 12 months.

Reason: The structures have been exceptionally approved solely to meet sustainable energy need and its subsequent retention would result in an unwarranted intrusion in the countryside.

C 3. The solar panels and base must be installed according to the plans and supporting information and must be maintained as such thereafter.

Reason: To ensure the development is implemented according to the plan/details submitted, as the Department has assessed the impact of the proposal on the basis of the specific use and the documents submitted.

C 4. The only model of solar panels that can be installed are the JAM60s21 355-375/MR solar panels

Reason: To ensure the development is implemented according to the plan/details submitted, as the Department has assessed the impact of the proposal on the basis of the specific use and the documents submitted.

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This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. Overall, it is concluded that the planning application is in accordance with Environment Policy 22 and Energy Policy 4 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, as well as wider Government climate change strategy, having no adverse private or public amenities.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 8th April 2022; o Drawing No. MSE_GRO_01 o Drawing No. MSE_GRO_02 o Drawing No. MSE_GRO_03 o Information upon the solar panel base o Product Specification - JAM60s21 355-375/MR __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE APPLICATION IS BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS IT COULD BE CONSIDERED CONTRARY TO THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN BUT RECOMMENDED FOR AN APPROVAL

THE APPLICATION SITE

1.1 The application site is within the curtilage of a field No. 211198 which is situated next to Gollane House, Clenagh Road, which is situated to the West of Clenagh Road, South of the Ballamenagh Road, Sandygate Road, Jurby Road, Clenagh Road crossroads.

1.2 The field is accessed via the side garden of Gollane House and currently has fruit trees within it.

1.3 The field is surrounded by mature trees and hedges with there being a sod bank with hedging above.

THE PROPOSAL

2.1 The current planning application seeks approval for the erection of a 5.25kw ground mounted solar PV system, comprising of 14 x 375watt panels, each sized at 1776mm by 1052mm. The proposed panels will be mounted on A frames which will be situated on a concrete base measuring 1.2m by 14.85m.

PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 The previous applications are not relevant in the assessment of this application.

PLANNING POLICY

4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as "not zoned for development," on the 1982 Development Plan, North Map. The site is not within a Conservation Area or a Flood Risk Zone.

4.2 STRATEGIC PLAN

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4.2.1 Given the nature of the land zoning and the proposal the post relevant Strategic Policy would be Paragraph 12.2.8 in connection with Energy Policy 4 which seeks that alternative sources of energy will be subject to the policies as set out in the Strategic Plan, this is then followed by Environment Policy 22 which sets out that development will not be permitted if it unacceptably harms the environment or amenity of neighbouring properties.

4.2.2 The following Strategic Polices are also relevant in the assessment of this application, Strategic Policy 1 which seeks that development should make the best use of resources, General Policy 2 which sets out general Development Control considerations, General Policy 3 which sets out exceptions for development within land not zoned for development, Environment Policy 1 which seeks that the countryside and it's ecology will be protected for its own sake and Environment Policy 14 which seeks that the loss of agricultural land will not be permitted unless there is an overriding need or the land is lower quality.

4.3 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

4.3.1 Also relevant to the assessment of this application is the Isle Of Man Future Energy Scenarios (2020), in which the Isle of Man Government launched its Future Energy Scenarios Strategy to determine the pathways to meet the following:

"Key Targets - To ensure 75% of the island's electricity is generated from renewable sources by 2035 and to deliver net zero emissions by 2050."

REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 The following representations can be found in full online, below is a short summery;

5.2 Highway Services have considered the proposal and state "After reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. (26.04.22)

5.3 No representation has been received from Jurby Parish Commissioners at the time of writing this report.

ASSESSMENT

6.1 The main issues to consider in the assessment of this planning application are:

• principle
• character and appearance

6.2 PRINCIPLE

6.2.1 In the first instance the principle of the development needs to be address. The field itself is a site which is not designated for development and is a site which lies in the countryside where development is restricted, in order to protect the countryside for its own sake. Whilst General Policy 3 allows for some exceptions within the countryside the proposed solar panels do not fit within any of these categories.

6.2.2 Whilst this is the case, the Strategic Plan has policies regarding renewable energy which is then re-confirmed within the Isle of Man Future Energy Scenarios (2020). This means that when accessing the acceptability of the principle of the proposal the Strategic Policies for renewable energy has to be weighed against the Strategic Policies for protecting the countryside.

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6.2.3 The proposal within this application is relatively small, the proposal is to create enough solar panels to help provide the property with renewable energy, as such it is considered that the installation of the solar panels at the site would accord with the general support given to the introduction of renewable and alternative energy sources and would comply with Paragraph 12.2.8 and Energy Policy 4 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

6.2.4 Whilst the principle is acceptable it is necessary to assess whether solar panels within this site would be acceptable.

6.2.5 The site itself is a field which is situated between two properties, Gollane Cottage, situated to the North West of the site and Gollane House which is the property in connection with the works. The field itself is surrounded by mature trees and hedging with the entrance into it via Gollane House. The field is currently being used an orchard in connection with the main dwelling, as such whilst the site is still being used as agricultural.

6.2.6 The proposed installation of solar panels would not alter this land designation and there are certain livestock which can still be grazed within a field with ground based solar panels, this is called solar grazing, these generally tend to be laid back and smaller grazers such as sheep, goats and chickens, of which there are several sites in the UK and beyond which are already doing this. As such the proposal would comply with Environment Policy 14.

6.3 CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE

6.3.1 Due to the proposal and the site, it is necessary that regard is given to the reasonableness of the scale and siting of the proposed solar panels and how they could affect the overall openness and ruralness of the surrounding area.

6.3.2 As stated above, the site is situated between two properties, of which the solar panels are to be situated along the North East of the site, directly adjacent to the sod bank. Having done a site visit, it can clearly be seen that the field cannot be seen from the main Clenagh Road. This is due to the sod bank and the mature hedging above it. As such there would be a very minimal impact upon the overall character and appearance of the area and the countryside.

CONCLUSION

7.1 Overall the openness and rural character of the countryside is not expected to be undermined as a result of the proposed solar panels, as such the proposal complies with Environment Policy 1 & 22 and Energy Policy 4.

7.2 It is recommended that the planning application be approved.

INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

8.1 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.

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8.2 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 __

I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to the it 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 : ...Pending Decision... Committee Meeting Date:...04.07.2022

Signed :...L KINRADE... 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

Customer note

This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.

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PLANNING COMMITTEE DECISION 04.07.2022

Application No 22/00419/B Applicant Mrs Catherine Groom Proposal Installation of 14 ground mounted solar PV panels Site Address Gollane House Clenagh Road Sandygate Ramsey Isle Of Man IM7 3AF Planning Officer Mrs Vanessa Porter Presenting Officer L KINRADE Addendum to the Officer Report

The Members discussed the proposed amendment to the case officer's recommendation, and accepted the reporting officer's amended recommendation with regards to C2.

The Members discussed the mounting of the solar panels and determined that C2 as amended encompassed their concerns.

C 2. In the event that the solar panels and the support units hereby approved are no longer used or required for renewable and alternative energy generation for a period exceeding 12 months, they shall be removed and the ground restored to its former condition within 6 months following the 12 month period.

Reason: The structures have been exceptionally approved solely to meet sustainable energy need and its subsequent retention would result in an unwarranted intrusion in the countryside.