DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00454/B Applicant: The Open Gate Trust Proposal: Alterations and extension to toilet block and replacement tools hut (partial retrospective) Site Address: Crossags Farm Camp Site Crossags Lane Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 2TB Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

• C 2. Should the camp site not be used as such for a period of 24 months or more from the last use as a seasonal camp site in accordance with the conditions of this approval, the structures associated with the use - the toilet facilities and tool shed - must be removed from the site

Reason: To ensure that the proposal does not result in any unjustified adverse environmental impact on the surrounding area.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 17th April 2019:

• o Location Plan
• o TOGT 1/3 - Proposed site plan, Existing and proposed elevations
• o TOGT ½ - Existing site plan and elevations
• o Photographs of existing x2
• o Rendered drawings x2

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THIS APPLICATION IS BROUGHT BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS IT IS A DEPARTURE FROM THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN BUT RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is an established campsite as Crossags Farm on the outskirts of Ramsey. The campsite has a large playing field area, with tracks running either side, and a small shipping container converted into a toilet adjacent to a tool shed to the north west of the campsite close to the farmhouse and south east of a garage building. The existing toilet and tool shed buildings are flat roofed.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is partially retrospective, for the extension of the existing toilet block (and its regularisation), and the replacement of the tool shed. The tool shed would be 12m2, for the keeping of mowers and other equipment related to the campsite maintenance, just under twice the size of the existing small shed. - 2.2 The toilet block is to be extended to provide a disabled toilet and a washing up area to the rear and a roofed porch are to the front of the block. The building would remain flat roofed, with a timber frame construction. It would measure 6.12m x 5.5m when the canopy/porch is included. The height of the toilet block would not increase from existing.

- 3.0 PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site is shown on the 1982 Development Plan (North Map) as being in an area of 'white land' - not zoned for development. - 3.2 General Policy 3 states that development will not be permitted outside of those areas zoned for development with the exception of:

"(a) essential housing for agricultural workers who have to live close to their place of work; (Housing Policies 7, 8, 9 and 10);

• (b) conversion of redundant rural buildings which are of architectural, historic, or social value and interest; (Housing Policy 11);
• (c) previously developed land(1) which contains a significant amount of building; where the continued use is redundant; where redevelopment would reduce the impact of the current situation on the landscape or the wider environment; and where the development proposed would result in improvements to the landscape or wider environment;
• (d) the replacement of existing rural dwellings; (Housing Policies 12, 13 and 14);
• (e) location-dependent development in connection with the working of minerals or the provision of necessary services;
• (f) building and engineering operations which are essential for the conduct of agriculture or forestry;
• (g) development recognised to be of overriding national need in land use planning terms and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative; and
• (h) buildings or works required for interpretation of the countryside, its wildlife or heritage."

3.3 Environment Policy 1:

'The countryside and its ecology will be protected for its own sake. For the purposes of this policy, the countryside comprises all land which is outside the settlements defined in Appendix

• 3 at A.3.6 or which is not designated for future development on an Area Plan. Development which would adversely affect the countryside will not be permitted unless there is an overriding national need in land use planning terms which outweighs the requirement to protect these areas and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative.'

- 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The campsite has been in use since the early 1990s, according to the planning history. There have been no planning applications on the site in recent years. - 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Garff Commissioners have no objections to this application (07.05.19).

5.2 DoI Highways have stated that there is no highways interest in this application (07.05.19). - 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The key consideration in the assessment of this application is the impact of the proposal on the countryside.

6.2 The two buildings in question are relatively small when viewed in the context of the larger farm buildings nearby - rather than as standalone buildings in a rural area. The surrounding campsite is kept for such a use, and there are access tracks directly beside the existing buildings. In principle, there is a presumption against development in the countryside, and this proposal would not meet any of the exemptions in General Policy 3. However, the proposal is relatively minor ad would be directly linked to the campsite use, toilet blocks especially are necessary for permanent campsites such as this.

6.3 The timber construction of the buildings, as well as their flat roofed construction, would assist in ensuring that they do not appear as an eyesore in their rural surroundings. It is not considered that the proposals would adversely affect the countryside either visually, or by the principle of the buildings in this location. - 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 In summary, whilst the toilet block and tool shed would not comply with General Policy 3 and are contrary to the development plan, the provision of adequate services in low impact buildings clustered near to existing buildings is considered acceptable. The application is therefore recommended for approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material
• (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and
• (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

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 in Article 6(4) who should be given Interested Person Status.

8.3 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot be given Interested Person Status.

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.

Decision Made : Permitted Committee Meeting Date: 10.06.2019

Signed : N SALT Presenting Officer

Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).

Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below

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