Clause 7 Lawful Use Statement

Statement in relation to Clause 7 of the Application for a Certificate of lawful use or development for Agriculture House, Ballafletcher farm Road, Cronkbourne, Isle of Man IM4 4QE

A Planning Application, 87/4522, for the construction of a building to house the administration required for the running of the Abattoir and Creamery was submitted in 1987 and Approved in 1988. The building was subsequently constructed and occupied and has been the subject of a number of Planning Applications subsequently, submitted in response to the changing needs of the Island’s meat and dairy farming businesses. In essence, the purpose of these Applications has been to remove the restriction that the building can only be occupied by a business dealing with Agriculture; this would provide a greater opportunity for the farming community to raise much needed income from an asset which is no longer required for its original use.

The most recent Application, 06/00353/C, to change the use of part of the Upper Floor to General Office Use was Approved. The intention of this Application is to obtain the same, unrestricted, General Office Use on the Lower Floor as that has been occupied by a business not dealing with Agriculture, NFU Mutual, since 1998. Whilst NFU Mutual was first constituted to serve the farming community, which may explain why it became a Tenant at Agriculture House, it has been open for general business since the mid-1980’s; consequently, it is considered that the Lower Floor has been occupied by a business not dealing with Agriculture for over 14 years and that, consequently, the Lower Floor has been used as a General Office for that time.

We would be grateful if this Application can be Approved as it will benefit the farming community at large for years to come.

15th November 2012