Architects Planning Justification

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The Secretary of the Planning Committee Department of Local Government and the Environment Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas

1 st. September 2006

Dear Sirs

Ref :- RHEAST, BALLAMODHA, MALEW This proposal is for a new traditional Manx Country House on the site of former settlement. The applicant desires to create a home for his family on the farm land that he owns.

The Site The site is shown on the 1975, 6 inch to the mile scale ordinance survey as the lines of buildings and hedges in the manner of a small holding which would traditionally have been a farmhouse with barn/cow house (copy enclosed with application) which is believed to be have been occupied in the 1920's

Currently the site indicates that this was the case with the ruins of what could have been a farmhouse and an outline of what could have been barns/cow houses.

The site has trees on its perimeters (see site plan included with application) which integrates it into the surrounding tree backdrop along the road.

Location It is set along the side road set back from the main road (Ballamodha Straight) by approximately 120m and well shielded from general view by surrounding hedges and trees.

It is over 150m from the nearest property on the Ballamodha Straight (Garey Rhennie), which has a tree shrub surround and is generally not visible from other dwellings.

The natural orientation of the site is facing South with a back drop of the tree lined road hedges. Views of the site as such would be of a distant small building group, similar to other groupings in the countryside. Access to the site is via the existing road which it abuts. This road serves only Moaney Moar Farm and a bungalow – thus has a low usage.

Services

We believe are available- water/electric/telecom are located in close to the site – Drainage:- The applicant is owner of the surrounding land and it is proposed that foul drainage is treated by a ‘biodisc’ with subsoil percolation and surface taken to soakaways or other approved disposal.

Impact

1. The tree backdrop and surrounds partly shield the site from views.
2. The sites secluded location and distance from other properties will minimize the impact the proposal.
3. It is located where there was a previous settlement and where there is still physical evidence of this.

The countryside in this area is typical Manx lowland landscape with groupings of farm buildings/cottages and more modern bungalows set into the pattern of fields. The proposal follows this pattern and is in the scale that exists.

The proposal is that the buildings will be in traditional forms and finished with traditional materials – thus in keeping with the description of the essential character of the Manx countryside as described in Planning Circular.

The Plan Circular 3/91

We believe it is established to protect the essential character of the Manx Countryside. We feel that this proposal will create a settlement that fits this pattern, this being supported by the fact that the site previously was such a settlement.

3/91 Visual Image of Countryside - ‘States’

“There is a visual image that symbolizes the essential Manx Countryside. This comprises of lowlands of green undulating pastures contained by hedgerows and stone walls. This landscape is punctuated by simple rectangular crisp white farmhouses with slate roofs set against less prominent farm outbuildings and tree clumps. The resulting prospect is a rich green land from scattered with small white houses on its lower slopes.

Conclusion

The application is on the site of a former residence. It is secluded and well hidden will have little impact on its surroundings, whilst visual from a distance complies with visual image of countryside as described in 3/91 above.

We would suggest that this proposal should be treated as the re establishment of a former established site rather than a new dwelling.

Yours faithfully

J.A. Callow

for Partington, Nixon & Kinrad