**Document:** DEC Officer Report **Application:** 22/00173/B — Erection of two polytunnels **Decision:** Permitted **Decision Date:** 2022-05-23 **Parish:** Lezayre **Document Type:** report / officer_report **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/8614-lezayre-glen-villas-field-131682-polytunnel/documents/947330 --- # DEC Officer Report **Application No.:** 22/00173/B **Applicant:** Mr Peter Rowland Halpin **Proposal:** Erection of two polytunnels. **Site Address:** Glen Villas & Field 131682 Ballamanagh Road Sulby Isle Of Man IM7 2HB Head of Development Management: Mr S Butler **Expected Decision Level:** Officer Delegation **Recommended Decision:** Permitted **Date of Recommendation:** 20.05.2022 ## 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 buildings hereby approved shall only be used for agricultural purposes. Reason: the buildings has been assessed on the basis of agricultural use only. - C 3. In the event that it is no longer used or required for agricultural purposes, the building hereby approved shall be removed and the ground restored to its former condition within 6 months of it last being in use. Reason: The building has been exceptionally approved solely to meet agricultural need and its subsequent retention would result in an unwarranted intrusion in the countryside. ## This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposal for a lightweight structure for agricultural use and is considered to comply with General Policy 3 and Environment Policy 15 and is recommended for approval subject to conditions. ## Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following plans/drawings/information: - - Location Plan (received 22.02.2022) - - Letter (with photographs) (received 22.02.2022) - - Polytunnel detail (received 22.02.2022) - - Site Plan (received by e-mail 20.05.22) _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________ ## Officer’s Report 1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is Field 131682 located to the North of Ballamanagh Road. To the South East and West are residential properties with large gardens, whilst to the East and South are fields. The applicant also owns the property Glen Villas, to the West. A public footpath (51) runs immediately alongside the eastern boundary of the site. 2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application relates to the erection of two polytunnels which are each 10.97m x 4.88m. 2.2 The application form clarifies that full approval is sought. The current use is, "Field not in use" and the proposed use is "growing fruit and vegetables". No changes to access, site level or services are proposed. No trees or watercourses close by. ## - 3.0 PLANNING POLICY & LEGISLATION - 3.1 LOCAL PLANNING POLICY - 3.1.1 The application site is identified on the Sulby Local Plan 1998 as white land or land not zoned for development (the field to the south is show as "wood"). The site is not within a designated Conservation Area or within an identified area of Flood Risk Zone. 3.2 The following Strategic Plan policies are relevant: - - General Policy 2 (Development Control considerations); - - General Policy 3 (No development on unallocated sites other than in given exceptions, which include works essential for the conduct of agriculture); - - Environment Policy 1 and 2* (protection of countryside and landscape); - - Environment Policy 14 (protection of important and versatile agricultural land); *The Sulby Local Plan (1998) does not include on the proposal map any Areas of High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance. South of the TT course goings towards the uplands is identified as AHLVoCV&SC in the 1982 Development Plan. 3.3 Environment Policy 15 states (in full) "Environment Policy 15: Where the Department is satisfied that there is agricultural or horticultural need for a new building (including a dwelling), sufficient to outweigh the general policy against development in the countryside, and that the impact of this development including buildings, accesses, servicing etc. is acceptable, such development must be sited as close as is practically possible to existing building groups and be appropriate in terms of scale, materials, colour, siting and form to ensure that all new developments are sympathetic to the landscape and built environment of which they will form a part. Only in exceptional circumstances will buildings be permitted in exposed or isolated areas or close to public highways and in all such cases will be subject to appropriate landscaping. The nature and materials of construction must also be appropriate to the purposes for which it is intended. Where new agricultural buildings are proposed next to or close to existing residential properties, care must be taken to ensure that there is no unacceptable adverse impact through any activity, although it must be borne in mind that many farming activities require buildings which are best sited, in landscape terms, close to existing building groups in the rural landscape". ## - 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 PA 21/00192/B for Internal and external alterations to existing dwelling was approved 30.04.2021. The site plan shows the residential property in red and the surrounding fields (including current application site) in blue. - 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS (in brief, full representation can be read online) 5.1 Lezayre Commissioners (08.04.22) - Approve Unanimous 5.2 DOI Highways (17.03.22) - No Highways Interest. ASSESSMENT 6.1 The key issues are: - - Principle of Development; - - Relationship to existing buildings; and - - Details (scale, materials, colour, siting and form) 6.2 The application states, "This application relates to the erection of two polytunnels which are each 10.97m x 4.88m. The produce grown in the polytunnels will be for personal consumption. It is anticipated that one polytunnel will be installed in 2022, and the second one in 2023. Over the same period we will also be planting various fruit trees and bushes in the field. The field is not visible from the highway, and the proposed location within the field of the polytunnels is not directly visible from the houses on any neighbouring property. The field is only accessible from the gardens of Glen Villas, or from field 131679 which we also own. The photographs below show the views to the north, south, east and west from the area in between the two polytunnels as highlighted on the location map". 6.3 Generally, for agricultural buildings a statement of agricultural need might be expected, however given the size and nature of the proposal it is not considered necessary in this instance. On balance it is considered that the principle of the development is acceptable. 6.4 Given the location of the site, landscaping, light weight nature of the structure and that they are not an unusual or inappropriate sight in a rural setting, it is considered that the siting is acceptable. - 6.5 There are no concerns about the details of the proposal. ## - 7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 The proposal for a lightweight structure for agricultural use and is considered to comply with General Policy 3 and Environment Policy 15 and is recommended for approval subject to conditions. ## - 8.0 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. 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 a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status. Decision Made : Permitted Date: 20.05.2022 Determining officer Signed : A MORGAN Abigail Morgan Principal Planner Customer note This copy of the officer report reflects thecontent of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/ customers and archive records. --- *Data sourced from the Isle of Man public planning register under the [Isle of Man Open Government Licence](https://www.gov.im/about-this-site/open-government-licence/).* *Canonical page: https://planningportal.im/a/8614-lezayre-glen-villas-field-131682-polytunnel/documents/947330*