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Application No.: 16/01325/C Applicant: Peel Golf Club Proposal: Change of use of part of practice ground as campsite for 2017 TT and Festival of Motoring periods. Site Address: Field 314539 Rheast Lane Peel Isle Of Man Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken: 22.02.2017 Site Visit: 22.02.2017 Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee
THE APPLICATION IS BROUGHT BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE OWING TO THE NATURE OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED.
1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is an irregularly shaped parcel of land that comprises land to the southwest of the fairway to the first hole of Peel Golf Club, along with the club's practice putting green and car park to the north, at which point the site connects with Rheast Lane. The land comprises roughly half of the golf club's practice field, which is situated to the southwest of the clubhouse. This part of the site is accessed by crossing over the fairway, the access being shown as a narrow strip of land between the field and the aforementioned car park. - 1.2 The application site is bounded by the golf course (to the east and southeast) and agricultural fields (west and southwest). Beyond these to both the east and north / northwest are situated residential dwellings: these are on Ballatessan Meadow to the north / northwest and Links Close cul-de-sac to the west of the practice putting green. - 1.3 To its northwestern edge, the application site is a fairly consistent curve, whereas the remainder of the site is very varied in shape. The northwestern edge faces more or less parallel to the rear gardens of the dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow. The easternmost of the dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow is roughly 50m away at its nearest point and is the nearest dwelling to the edge of the application site.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks approval for the use of the agricultural field for camping during the 2017 TT and Grand Prix motorcycle events, plus five days either side of those periods for the setting up and dismantling of the tents. 75 tents 2.1m square are proposed in three lines fairly central within the site, while 25 bell tents 5m square are proposed to the southern, eastern and northern boundaries of the site and surrounding those lines of the smaller tents. The boundary to the northwest would be provided by Heras fencing. To the very north of the field are shown male and female WC cubicles. - 2.2 At maximum occupancy, the camp site would contain 250 people.
2.3 The application has been submitted with a Planning Statement and traffic management plan, the latter showing where various signs would be located on the highway and the design / detail of those signs. The Statement explains the nature of the proposal and identifies the scale and kind of sanitary facilities that would be provided and also explains that the car park to be used in association with the proposal is an existing overspill car park. During the motorcycling events, the golf club tends to be less well-used and as such the agent foresees no conflict between the two uses taking place contemporaneously. - 2.4 Access to the golf club is available only from Rheast Lane, which is an almost semi-circular highway that connects with both Tynwald Road (to the east) and Queens Drive (to the west). At the apex of the semi-circle there is another junction that turns south and connects into the golf club itself. Rheast Lane is narrow for much of its length to a degree that largely prevents the two-way movement of traffic. It is lined by both stone walling and trees / hedgerows for the majority of its length, and is particularly narrow along the northwestern 'spine' that connects up to Queens Drive. There are dwellings that sit all along Rheast Lane. - 2.5 The application site as initially submitted allowed for no means of access. Accordingly, an amended plan showing a means of access was provided and circulated. Subsequently, and in view of the concerns raised by Highway Services (see paragraph 5.1 of this report, below), further amended plans were submitted showing alternative highways directional signage. These plans were also circulated. - 2.6 Reference has also been made within the application to the cooking and cleaning facilities within the golf clubhouse being made available to the users of the proposed campsite, but as this is not within the red line of the application site the agent has confirmed that these facilities will not, in fact, be available to the users. - 2.7 In respect of concern raised locally to the proposal (see paragraph 5.4.1 of this report, below), the agent was contacted with a view to clarifying the management / stewardship of the site should the application be approved. He responded as follows: "…whilst actual numbers of stewards has yet to be finalised, I can advise that:-
3.0 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The site has not been the subject of any applications considered to be of material relevance to the determination of this current proposal. Moreover, there do not appear to have been any previous applications for temporary camp sites on the golf club. - 3.2 Some members may recall similar proposals to this being approved at both the new Colby Football Club (PA 14/00036/C) and also successive applications at Ballakermeen School (the first being 13/00367/C).
4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 The area within which the campsite would be located is actually zoned as Predominantly Residential (but outside of the Town Boundary) on the Peel Local Plan, which was adopted in 1989. The remainder of the application site is zoned as 'Golf Club'. Some of the land falling within that
Residential Zoning has been constructed (Ballatessan Meadow being the southernmost example), but there does not appear to be any immediate prospect of the remainder of that zoning being taken up for residential development. There are no written policies within the Peel Local Plan that specifically apply to this application, although it is worth noting the wording of paragraphs 4.12 and
4.13 therein:
4.2 The Strategic Plan contains four policies considered relevant to the assessment of this current planning application. - 4.3 General Policy 2 reads, in part: "Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:
4.4 Business Policy 11 states: "Tourism development must be in accordance with the sustainable development objectives of this plan; policies and designations which seek to protect the countryside from development will be applied to tourist development with as much weight as they are to other types of development. Within the rural areas there may be situations where existing rural buildings would be used for tourist use and Environment Policy 16 sets out the circumstances where this may be permitted." - 4.5 Transport Policy 4 states: "The new and existing highways which serve any new development must be designed so as to be capable of accommodating the vehicle and pedestrian journeys generated by that development in a safe and appropriate manner, and in accordance with the environmental objectives of this plan." - 4.6 Environment Policy 22 states (in part): "Development will not be permitted where it would unacceptably harm the environment and/or the amenity of nearby properties in terms of:
"The proposal is to use part of a golf club as a camp site during TT and MGP periods. The access to the golf club is via a narrow lane with substandard visibility onto Tynwald Road. It is proposed that vehicles will access the site from Tynwald Road and exit via Rheast Lane onto Queen's Drive; this will be an informal one way system initially, applying only to users of the camp site, however
Highway Services have the power to make to Rheast Lane one way for all traffic if it is felt to be necessary.
"Ellis Brown drawing nos 15/2584/05 and 15/2584/06 indicate inappropriate traffic signs on the highway; the applicant has been advised that these drawing should be amended."
"During the operation of the campsite a traffic management scheme shall be in operation as indicated on Ellis Brown drawing numbers 15/2584/05-A and 15/2584/06-A
"Reason: in the interests of highway safety"
5.2 The Tourism team within the Department of Economic Development was contacted to seek their views on the proposal, but they confirmed that 'temporary' campsites such as these are not matters on which they generally offer comment.
6.1 The Strategic Plan contains no specific policies relating to the use of land for temporary campsites. In this case, the following assessment focusses on highway safety and the impact on neighbouring living and farming conditions. Were the campsite proposed permanently, its visual impact would also be assessed: however, it is considered that this alone is not a particular concern
here given that the campsite will only be in use for a few weeks of 2017. It is to be remembered that, although the land is zoned for development purposes (both Residential and Golf Club), it is not zoned for the proposed use, and moreover the situation 'on the ground' is very much one of open fields, albeit with some access allowable via the golf club. The impact of the proposal needs to be judged having due regard to both the extant zoning and also its present use.
Neighbouring living conditions
6.2 As already noted, the easternmost of the dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow (no.52) is, at roughly 50m away, the nearest dwelling to the edge of the application site. The tents shown within the site are roughly 10m away from its northwestern boundary. Number 52 Ballatessan Meadow is set roughly 15m back from its rear boundary line. The dwelling itself is 95m away from the nearest tent, while the other dwellings along Ballatessan Meadow are in excess of 100m distant. - 6.3 The land is fairly open in the area such that noise will travel further than would be the case if vegetation or buildings were in place to provide some form of buffering. It is true that odours will also travel further for a similar reason, but in this case it would be difficult to reach a conclusion that any odours that do travel for the nearly 100m between the application site and the nearest dwellings would be so strong as to warrant an objection on this ground. In making this judgement, it is also noted that the proposed use will take place on only the weeks of the year during which the TT and Festival of Motoring events are taking place. - 6.4 This same point also holds true with respect to noise transference, and so it needs to be concluded that the harm arising from the proposed use will be so harmful to local living conditions for the four weeks of the year when the campsite is in operation that the application should be refused on that basis. No noise survey has been submitted with the application and so there is no way to make a scientific assessment as to the likely increase in noise that the use may generate, and how material this is relative to the existing situation. Consideration needs to be given to not just the noise created by the people using the campsite, but also to their comings and goings as well as any lighting that might be installed. - 6.5 In terms of Links Close, it is noted that these dwellings are shielded somewhat by the dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow, meaning that the campsite itself will not be visible from their curtilages. Moreover, and this is perhaps the key point with respect to the impact of the use, the Ballatessan Meadow dwellings will also act as a barrier to the noise associated with the use of the campsite. - 6.6 Therefore, it is considered that the occupiers of dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow are likely to be most affected by the use of the campsite itself, while the occupiers of the dwellings situated on Rheast Lane and Links Close are likely to be affected more by the users of the campsite accessing it. - 6.7 The concerns raised by some residents of those dwellings regarding the access gates that they have out from their gardens onto the golf course is a private matter since it is an individual's own choice as to what sort of boundaries they have to their properties (subject, of course, to the appropriate planning approval being in place). It is understood that trespass in general would be a concern, but second-guessing that visitors to the campsite will behave illegally is judged to be an inappropriate basis on which to make decisions. In any case, it is considered that the most direct and obvious route from the campsite to the town of Peel is via the adopted highways, and it is likely that this will be the route people would choose. The presence of fencing to surround the camping area offers further support to this point. - 6.8 The impact of the use and those accessing the proposed campsite requires more in-depth assessment. The former is considered first.
6.9 The land between the proposed campsite and Ballatessan Meadow is, as pointed out by a resident there, largely free of vegetation or other barrier to noise. While the distance 'on the ground' may feel significant, any noise created will likely travel fairly easily across that 100-120m (depending on which dwelling is referred to). Against that is the fact that it is clearly in the interest of the applicant to ensure the site is properly managed. It is entirely to their benefit to seek calm and orderly behaviour on the site as they should not wish to upset nearby residents, and the agent's confirmation of this is both welcome and unsurprising. While it is true that people on holiday can tend towards louder behaviour, and somewhat later in the evenings, than might be expected, or 'normal', for full-time residents, it is also true that people generally want to 'get along' with others for fairly obvious reasons. It can be difficult to not assume the worst in cases like this, and it is readily understood why objections on this basis have been received, but equally there needs to be some faith that - to be blunt - people will behave themselves. It is not ignored that the entirety of the land between the proposed campsite and the dwellings on Ballatessan Meadow is zoned for dwellings, and nor is it ignored that the proposed campsite would be temporary. It is a very difficult balance. - 6.10 It is noted that there have been three objections received from the owners / occupiers of three of the dwellings here, and also from the neighbouring farmer. While the number of objections is not in itself significant, they do represent a large number relative to the number of houses that actually face onto this field from the northwest - two come from those dwellings nearest. The concerns raised by these people are reasonable, understandable and could justifiably form a reason to refuse the application. It is also reasonable to conclude that there is only the slight prospect of the zoned land coming forward for residential development in the foreseeable future such that this can only be given very limited weight in the overall balance. (Although the residential zoning was adopted in 1989, no planning application has been submitted for residential development here since then.) The argument that the Island as a whole generates more noise during the motorcycle events is accepted, but this is not in itself a justification to accept additional such impacts if those are deemed harmful. Moreover, any new proposal must be judged having regard to its individual circumstances - and in this case it is noted that Peel is situated well away from the TT course and, moreover, Rheast Lane and Ballatessan Meadow are fairly calm and quiet locations on the edge of Peel. - 6.11 Balancing all of the above, while it is noted that the application only seeks approval for a single year, it is concluded that the impact on neighbouring living conditions as well as nearby cattle is sufficient, even for such a short period, to warrant the application's refusal in the context of part (g) of General Policy 2 and criterion (iii) of Environment Policy 22. The balance towards an objection has, in this case, been tipped by the nature of the objections received from the residents on Ballatessan Meadow and the neighbouring farmer. - 6.12 The impact of the journeys to and from the proposed use on the residents on Rheast Lane, and also the additional parking that would take place adjacent to the dwellings on Links Close, is perhaps more clear-cut. There will be a significant number of additional vehicles using this highway and the golf club than is currently the case. While the proposed use will only add vehicles for a short period of the year, it seems likely that the addition of these vehicles will cause both traffic problems and noise problems for local residents. This is a lightly used lane and one that cannot readily accommodate increased traffic levels without this being significantly noticeable to the nearby residents who, despite their location fairly near well-used roads, are likely to be used to a somewhat tranquil existence. It is noted that apparently the golf club already uses the practice putting green area on a fairly regular occasion such that its use as an overspill car park is actually likely to be less significantly harmful than if it was only ever used as a practice putting green. However, what is clear is that the use as an overspill car park will be more intensive and for a more concentrated period, and this will likely be harmful to neighbouring living conditions due to the increase in noise, activity and fumes arising from the manoeuvring of vehicles in the area. The proposal is therefore again judged contrary to part (g) of General Policy 2 and criterion (iii) of Environment Policy 22. Impact on highway safety
6.13 While the lack of objection from Highway Services is noted, the highway is extremely narrow and its navigation, even for locals, is evidently problematic. The views of the Commissioners are also important to note in reaching a conclusion on this. The existing access onto Tynwald Road is difficult to safely navigate and while this might be reduced by people following the voluntary oneway system, one resident has indicated a clear intention to ignore this, and there is nothing stopping others from acting likewise. While it is possible that this might be addressed by a formal change to the two-way nature of the highway, and this may result in an acceptable level of traffic flow (primarily in terms of the use of the accesses onto and off Rheast Lane), such an approach would not alter or materially improve the effect of additional traffic on Rheast Lane on the people that live there. - 6.14 It is therefore concluded that the proposal is also contrary to parts (h) and (i) of General Policy 2 and also to Transport Policy 4.
7.1 The area of land the subject of the proposed campsite is zoned for permanent residential development. In some ways, the impact arising from a temporary campsite, proposed for only the coming year of motorbike events, might be said to be minimal. This application has generated not insignificant local concern on a range of matters that are reasonable, albeit without necessarily being capable of representing an unduly harmful impact relative to the policies of the Strategic Plan. In the overall balance, though, it has been concluded that the application has failed to demonstrate that the impacts arising from the proposed use, and also access to that use, would not have an unduly harmful impact on neighbouring living conditions or highway safety.
7.2 Accordingly, the application is recommended for refusal. - 7.3 If the Committee is minded to overturn this recommendation, it is in the first instance to be noted that the application seeks approval only for the use during 2017. A condition defining the days during which the campsite could be used would be reasonable, and it would also be reasonable for that condition to allow for a period of time before and after both the TT and MGP periods to allow for the setting up and dismantling of the campsite. The applicant has responded to a request seeking clarification as to what set-up and dismantling period would be reasonable to them, with the requested 5 days either side seeming appropriate. Such a period reflects that of the temporary campsite at Ballakermeen High School in Douglas. The dates requested by the applicant are as follows:
7.4 Consideration may also be given to a condition stating that no approval is given or inferred by approval to the application for any lighting on the site. It may, however, be more appropriate to attach a condition requiring details of a lighting scheme be submitted for approval to the Department. This would allow proper consideration to be given to what lighting would be acceptable in order to ensure an appropriate balance between safety on the campsite and neighbouring living conditions. - 7.5 A condition requiring that the site be laid out as per the submitted drawing showing the site layout would also be appropriate in order to ensure proper control of the site. - 7.6 Finally, the condition sought by Highway Services is entirely necessary in order that the traffic flow on Rheast Lane is properly managed during the campsite's operation.
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Refused Date of Recommendation: 23.02.2017 Conditions and Notes for Approval: C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
This approval is based upon the plans ref 15/02584/01, 03, 05A, 06A, statement and photographs all date stamped as received 28th November 2016, 12th December and 24th January 2017.
I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the appropriate delegated authority.
Signed :……E RILEY……….. Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report). Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below
Customer note
This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.
Application No. : 16/01325/C Applicant : Peel Golf Club Proposal : Change of use of part of practice ground as campsite for 2017 TT and Festival of Motoring periods.
Site Address : Field 314539 Rheast Lane Peel Isle Of Man Presenting Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Addendum to the Officer’s Report The Planning Committee debated the matter and determined to overturn the recommendation and approve the application.
Reason: There remains concern regarding the impact of the proposed campsite on neighbouring properties and highway safety and a temporary period to allow an assessment of those impacts is appropriate.
Reason: In the interest of protecting neighbouring living conditions by keep lighting levels to a minimum while also ensuring the safety of the campsite users.
Reason: In the interest of ensuring the proper management of the site and in the interest of protecting neighbouring living conditions.
This approval is based upon the plans ref 15/02584/01, 03, 05A, 06A, statement and photographs all date stamped as received 28th November 2016, 12th December and 24th January 2017.
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