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PLANNING STATEMENT Alterations and Use of Existing Garage as Workshop and Private Clock Collection Display & Storage, Notus Lodge, Douglas Road, Ballasalla Isle Of Man, IM9 3AD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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This Planning Statement has been prepared by Ste Stanley, Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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Contents 1.Introduction 2.Site Location and Description 3.Planning History and Lawful Baseline 4.Description of the Proposed Development 5.Policy Context 6.Planning Assessment 7.Overall Planning Balance 8.Conclusion UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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Proposed Alterations and Use of Existing Garage as Workshop and Private Clock Collection Display & Storage, Notus Lodge, Douglas Road, Ballasalla Isle Of Man, IM9 3AD Prepared on behalf of: Dr J Taylor OBE

1. Introduction This Planning Statement has been prepared in support of a planning application seeking approval for a change of use and minor external alterations to an existing detached building located within the residential curtilage of Notus Lodge, Ballaquaggan Farm, Ballasalla. The proposal seeks permission for the building to be used as a private workshop and specialist storage facility associated with the applicant’s horological collection, with the use remaining wholly ancillary to the main dwelling. No living accommodation is proposed, no residential facilities are included, and the building will not be capable of independent occupation or overnight use. The application represents a clear and deliberate departure from earlier proposals that explored ancillary residential use of the building. Instead, it regularises a long-standing structure by securing a low-intensity, domestic and policy-compliant use that removes any residential function entirely, reduces planning risk, and aligns the building’s role with the lawful enjoyment of the existing dwelling. This statement describes the site and planning history, explains the proposal, sets out the relevant policy framework, and assesses the scheme against the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, demonstrating that the proposal is acceptable in principle, causes no harm to the countryside, and represents a reasonable and proportionate form of development.
2. Site Location and Description The application site lies within the residential curtilage of Notus Lodge, formerly known as Ballaquaggan Lodge, located on the south western side of the A5 Douglas Road to the north east of Ballasalla. The property sits outside any settlement boundary and is therefore, in planning terms, within the open countryside. The wider curtilage comprises the main dwelling and an existing detached building positioned approximately 15 metres to the north east of the house. The detached building was originally approved as a double garage under a 2005 planning permission and has existed on site for a significant period of time. The site is not subject to any specific environmental designation and there are no public footpaths within the immediate vicinity. Views of the building are limited by its position within the curtilage and by the presence of surrounding development and planting, with the structure reading as part of the established domestic grouping rather than as an isolated form of countryside development. UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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3. Planning History and Lawful Baseline Planning permission was granted in 2005 for the erection of a detached double garage with space above, subject to conditions restricting its use to purposes ancillary to the main dwelling. The building was not constructed fully in accordance with the approved plans and differs in certain respects from the original approval, including its dimensions and the presence of later additions. However, the building has existed in its current form for a sufficient period of time to render it immune from enforcement action under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999. Above: Garage as approved under 05/01699/B This position was explicitly acknowledged by the Planning Authority during consideration of application 20/00907/LAW. While that application sought a Certificate of Lawfulness for use of the building as ancillary living accommodation and was declined due to insufficient evidence relating to use, the officer report confirmed that aerial imagery demonstrated the structure had been in situ for a sufficient period for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the building works to likely have been granted had that been the application pursued. Subsequent applications explored alternative uses of the building, including mixed workshop and ancillary residential accommodation, but these were withdrawn and are not determinative of the current proposal. The lawful baseline for the purposes of this application is therefore an existing building that is immune from enforcement action, already present within the countryside and already exerting its planning impact. UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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Above: As-built internal layout 4. Description of the Proposed Development The proposal seeks planning permission for a change of use of the existing building to a private workshop and storage facility ancillary to the main dwelling, together with minor external alterations intended to improve the appearance of the building and bring it more closely into alignment with the form originally approved in 2005. The proposed use relates specifically to the storage, maintenance and conservation of the applicant’s private collection of historic clocks and timepieces, including workshop space for careful repair and maintenance, controlled storage areas, and specialist environmental and security measures required to preserve items of significant age and value. The use is domestic and incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling and is not commercial in nature. It does not involve regular public access and does not give rise to activity materially different from that associated with a domestic workshop or hobby space. Importantly, no living accommodation is proposed. There will be no kitchen, bathroom, sleeping space or facilities capable of supporting residential or overnight use. The proposed external alterations are modest and selective, involving the removal of later additions that detract from the building’s appearance and simplify its overall form. These changes represent a visual improvement and reduce the perceived scale and complexity of the structure, ensuring it reads clearly as a subordinate domestic outbuilding within the curtilage. The building will remain within the same planning unit as the main dwelling, with no separate curtilage, no independent access and no physical or functional separation. The applicant would accept a planning condition preventing any form of residential or overnight use, occupation, letting or disposal separate from the main dwelling, providing clear and enforceable control. As can be seen in the proposed plans (excerpts overleaf), the upper roof space would provide a general store, a dedicated clock parts secure store, all accessed via an external staircase (no internal access between the ground floor and roof space would exist. UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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The ground floor space would provide a clock display room with cases and a display table, a clocks parts case store and a workshop room with storage and workbenches. The unsightly containers installed by the previous owner would be removed with just the boiler housing remaining on the rear elevation. UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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5. Policy Context The development plan comprises the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and the Area Plan for the South. The site lies outside any land zoned for development and is therefore within the countryside. The most relevant policies are General Policy 3, which relates to development outside zoned areas, and Environment Policy 1, which seeks to protect the countryside from harmful development. Other policies are considered where relevant for context. General Policy 3 establishes a presumption against new development in the countryside, subject to defined exceptions. The proposal does not introduce a new building and does not create a new dwelling. It concerns the use of an existing, lawful structure within the curtilage of an established dwelling. Ancillary domestic development of this nature does not undermine the strategic objective of the policy, as it maintains a single residential planning unit and avoids the creation of sporadic or unjustified development. The proposal is therefore judged to be compatible with the strategic aims of General Policy 3. Environment Policy 1 seeks to protect the countryside for its own sake and resists development that would adversely affect its character or appearance. The proposal causes no such harm. The building already exists and the proposed use does not increase its scale, introduce new activity into open land, or alter the wider landscape. The minor external alterations improve the appearance of the building and reduce visual clutter, with no encroachment into agricultural land and no change to the openness of the countryside. We submit that the proposal therefore accords with Environment Policy 1. In addition, the 2025 Permitted Development Order allows for the erection of detached domestic garages within residential curtilages with footprints up to 6.8 metres by 6.8 metres and ridge heights up to 4 metres. While the current proposal is not permitted development and requires express planning permission, this context is relevant in demonstrating that detached domestic buildings of a meaningful scale are accepted as normal and reasonable within residential curtilages. In this case, the building already exists and the proposal relates only to securing an appropriate use and improving its appearance.
6. Planning Assessment The principle of using an existing outbuilding within the curtilage of a dwelling for ancillary domestic purposes is well established. The proposed use is materially less intensive than residential occupation and removes any ambiguity associated with previous applications. There is no increase in visual impact, as the building is already present and screened within the site, and the proposed alterations serve to improve its appearance rather than exacerbate its presence. The use is domestic and genuinely ancillary in every way and will not result in any overlooking, noise or disturbance beyond what could reasonably be expected within a residential curtilage. UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800

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There is no change to access arrangements and no increase in traffic generation, and the proposal raises no highway safety concerns. This application provides an opportunity to improve upon the existing situation and establish an acceptable ancillary use for the structure. With appropriate conditions, the Planning Authority can exert reasonable control over the use of the building which for the reasons set out within this statement would be acceptable in terms of impacts and enable the current owner to meet their unique and specialist requirements with no unacceptable impacts arising as a result. 7. Overall Planning Balance The building exists lawfully and is immune from enforcement action as confirmed by the Planning Authority in the consideration of previous applications. The proposal does not introduce new development into the countryside and does not create a new dwelling. The proposed use is genuinely ancillary, removes any residential function, improves the building’s appearance, and aligns with the strategic objectives of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan. There are no material harms arising from the proposal and it represents a sensible, controlled and acceptable outcome. 8. Conclusion The proposed change of use and minor external alterations are acceptable in principle as they are low impact, the proposed ancillary use is justified by the applicant’s unique needs and are without any planning harm that would warrant refusal. The proposal is considered to be compliant with the aims of Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and represents a clear improvement over the existing situation. We submit that planning approval should therefore be granted, subject to appropriate conditions restricting the use of the building to purposes ancillary to the enjoyment of the main dwelling and preventing any form of residential or overnight use. Ste Stanley, MRTPI Uplift Planning Ltd UPLIFT PLANNING LTD WWW.UPLIFTPLANNING.COM [email protected] 07624488800