B10

Business Policy 10

Business Policy 10: Retail development will be permitted only in established town and village centres, with the exceptions of neighbourhood shops in large residential areas and those instances identified in Business Policy 5.

9.4.4 For the purposes of Business Policy 9 major retail development will be classed as any new or increase in existing retail development of more than 500 sq. metres of floor space measured externally. For the purposes of Business Policy 10 new neighbourhood shops within new residential developments will not normally comprise more than 100sq metres of floor space measured externally.

9.4.5 It is accepted that in some circumstances a mix of uses can be appropriate within town centre locations such as residential flats above retail units or office accommodation, particularly where this can help to ensure the use of the area at different times during the day, thus helping to ensure the security and vitality of these areas.

9.5 Tourism

9.5.1 "Tourism" has been defined by the Tourism Society as "the temporary short term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during their stay at these destinations", and it covers a very wide range of activities and types of development. This may include travel and visits for business, professional, and domestic purposes as well as for holidays and recreation.

9.5.2 Tourism has historically been an important element in the Island's economy, and after a period of steady decline visitor numbers to the Island are once again starting to increase. A reliance on the traditional high volume, low yield holidays of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is long gone, with a swing towards high yield, lower volume tourism such as business trips, short breaks and special interest attractions.

9.5.3 It is considered that the Island's primary assets to tourists and visitors alike are its unique historical landscape, culture and heritage, as well as a wide range of specialist events and attractions. Many activities and facilities providing for the Island's tourists require no permanent development: the TT Races, for example which attract by far the most significant number of tourists to the Island of any event held here, require little but the Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road and a small number of modest marshals' shelters around the Course. Tourism can, however require the erection of built structures - holiday accommodation being the most frequently requested form of new development required in association with the tourism industry. It is important that a balance be struck between the needs of tourism and the protection of these assets, and that tourism development should be sustainable in accordance with the objectives of this plan. There is no special reason why less demanding policies should be applied to tourism development than for other types of development in the countryside, and larger scale schemes may have to be the subject of an environmental impact assessment before planning permission is granted, as with any other form of large scale development.

9.5.4 The Department of Tourism and Leisure is responsible for the development of the tourism strategy for the Island. The current version of the Tourism Strategy - "Fit for the Future" was approved by Tynwald in April 2004. One of the key issues identified in that strategy is the need to broaden the range of tourist accommodation:

"Long term development is also being hindered by the lack of bed spaces in general and of the quality now being required to service our customer's base in particular. It is a necessary requirement that existing bed stock continues to upgrade and the Department will ensure appropriate support is put in place to enable existing business to develop. In addition the Department also needs to provide support for the building of new bed stock on an Island wide basis.

There also needs to be recognition that the local property market can have a major impact on future tourism development. If there is a continued loss of traditional resort accommodation taking advantage of the high cost of residential property then there will be a heavy reliance on new build hotels if serviced stock levels are to be retained or increased" (1)

9.5.5 In recognition of this the Department proposes that new forms of contemporary tourism development will be welcomed, particularly those that satisfy customer demand for high quality accommodation in rural areas provided that they comply with the policies in the plan. Farmhouse accommodation or quality self catering units in barn conversions and making use of rural activities will be encouraged but must comply with General Policy 3 and Business Policy 9. Other forms of quality accommodation in rural areas will be considered, including the provision of hostels and similar accommodation suitable for walkers but must comply with General Policy 3 and Business Policy 11.

9.5.6 Area Plans may address a number of tourism issues, including current and future visitor trends and how they might impact upon the existing and future environment (for example through demand for certain types of accommodation, traffic generation, and parking requirements), an identification of areas where changing tourism trends are likely to result in demand to re-use or redevelop tourism buildings, and how key tourism assets such as natural landscapes cultural heritage and historic town centres can be protected. The role of an Area Plan should not be to provide a strategy for tourism but rather to facilitate possible development by way of appropriate policies and guidance.

9.5.7 Although previous Local Plans have applied a "Tourism" designation to areas with a large number of hotels, such a designation is becoming less appropriate in many towns and villages as the reduced demand for larger Victorian hotels results in conversion to private residential use. It is now more likely that a Tourism designation be given to specific tourist attractions and existing large individual hotel sites, with new tourist accommodation incorporated into areas of mixed or residential use. Wider areas which still include a large tourism element, such as Douglas Promenade, may be designated for "Residential/ Tourism" use (other potential uses may be identified and included in a mixed designation if appropriate).

9.5.8 The use of existing private residential properties as tourist accommodation may be acceptable if it can be demonstrated that it will not compromise the amenities of any neighbouring residents. In Chapter 7, there are described the circumstances in which redundant buildings in the countryside can be converted into dwellings. These policies apply equally to tourist use, except that it may very often be possible to convert to tourist use buildings which are too small to form a satisfactory permanent dwelling. The following policies and proposal are thus appropriate: