3/91

Planning Circular 3/91

GUIDE TO THE DESIGN OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Department of Local Government and the Environment.
Office of Architecture and Planning
Government Offices, Douglas, Isle of Man.
Rheynn Reiltys Ynnydagh as y Chymmyltacht.

£1.00

GLOSSARY

Catslide Roof

A section of roof over a single storey extension, usually at a lower pitch than the main roof.

Corbel

A projecting block, usually of stone, supporting a beam or other horizontal member.

Cornice

Moulded ledge.

Dormer

A window placed vertically over a sloping roof with a roof of its own.

Drip Moulding

Projecting moulding above an opening to throw off water.

Fanlight

A window over a door.

Fenestration

The arrangement of windows on an external wall face.

Gable

Area of wall usually triangular at the end of a double pitched roof.

Kneeler

Horizontal projection at eaves level on a gable wall.

Reveal

The side of an opening in a wall between the front edge and the frame of a door or window.

String Course

Intermediate moulding projecting from the surface of a wall, usually corresponding to an internal floor level.

Vernacular Building

Buildings designed by those without formal training in design but using local materials and constructional methods formed over many years by local tradition.

Weathering

Inclined projecting surface to keep water away from walls and joints.

Foreword by the Minister for the Environment

This circular, published in the form of a guide, sets down some basic principles which are intended to form a constructive approach to further protecting the quality of the countryside. Two of these objectives are the conservation of existing rural buildings and features and the sympathetic design of new development.

Similar guides are proposed for areas having townscape quality. Taken together, these guides will provide a framework to assist in the preservation of the special character of the Island's environment and its buildings.

TONY BROWN

INTRODUCTION

This Circular is intended to guide applicants, architects and builders on suitable ways to design and construct residential buildings in rural areas. It has been prompted by the need to conserve existing buildings of quality and to maintain the Island's individual identity.

The landscape character of the countryside stemming from its geology, climate and agricultural use, is of high quality. It has been largely retained by strict planning restraint on development.

Where new building is allowed under present controls, it is considered that this should respect the established rural character which has been the result of the vernacular and Victorian building of the past. Early farmhouses as well as being visually harmonious are still functional and their form is valid in terms of present constructional methods. They are simple, rational and visually faultless. Later Victorian buildings also contribute to the quality of the rural landscape. The essential building characteristics which act as patterns for proposed new residential buildings are described. These then form a basis by which to measure the acceptability of extensions to existing buildings or the design of any new permitted dwellings.

The advice on housing design in the countryside is meant to apply primarily to the area outside settlements and urban areas covered by existing Written Statements and Planning Circulars. The area in question is indicated on the adjoining map. The definitive boundary should however be determined with reference to the approved Town Plans.

The guide seeks to set a standard for the typical housing requirement in rural areas. It is intended that other guides to new building within a Victorian or Edwardian context will be prepared.

An important related subject concerns agricultural buildings. This will need to be the subject of a separate Circular that deals with the retention and use of traditional farm buildings and the siting and design of new structures.

PRESENT PLANNING POLICIES

Current Circulars relating to residential buildings in the countryside emphasise both the need for the renovation of older houses and restrictions on development. New buildings are limited to essential agricultural activity which cannot be accommodated in existing buildings. These restrictions apply equally to extensions or minor works. Only certain items are excluded from the need for planning permission. These, together with work requiring permission, are summarised in Appendix 1.

In general, present advice stresses the importance of relating new and existing buildings and of using traditional materials. These policies continue and are supplemented by more detailed design advice contained in this Circular.

POLICY 1

The removal or replacement of traditional elements including materials, windows or