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The site represents the curtilage of an existing dwelling which sits on the southern side of a narrow lane which leads from the B26 between the A5 Castletown Road to the A25 Old Castletown Road. The property sits amid three small fields, one of which abuts the Isle of Man steam railway line. The site accommodates a detached dwelling.
The site lies within an area designated as Woodland on the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982.
The dwelling which sits on the site was permitted as a farm worker's dwelling, under IDO 37410 in 1974 subject to the usual agricultural occupancy conditions.
The property was not however occupied in accordance with the permitted conditions and a certificate of lawful use was applied for and granted under PA 06/0299.
Proposed now is the erection of a detached triple garage with storage space alongside with living accommodation above in the form of a two bedroomed dwelling with ramped access. The new accommodation above the garage will necessitate some building up of the external walls of the garage rather than simply using the roofspace above the garage. The new building will be finished in rendered walls and natural or imitation slates.
There is an increasing number of applications for large garages with living accommodation proposed above. In rural locations they are tantamount to new residences in the countryside, contrary to policies against such development. Two relatively recent proposals of this kind were PAs 05/1508 and 05/92260, the Inspector reporting on the former application who noted that the accommodation involved building up the structure to form the upstairs accommodation and the proposed dormers. In the case of the latter the Inspector noted the scale and massing of the building which was tantamount to a residence. This point is raised by the Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside and the Environment who object to the application.
The proposed accommodation will not depend upon the main house for any of its amenities and as such cannot be accurately described as ancillary accommodation and despite it being dug into the site so from the rear appears as a single storey property it is still a sizeable building which is similar in size and space to a new dwelling. This is a point made by the local authority who object to the application.
The Department of Transport and the local authority are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.
Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside and the Environment is not directly affected by the proposal and as such should not be afforded party status in this instance.
The Manx Electricity Authority and Fire Prevention Officer raise points relating to Building Control matters and working practices and not planning considerations and should not be afforded party status in this instance.
Recommended Decision: Refused
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
R 1.
Whilst there is no objection to the erection of new detached garaging, the proposed building would involve almost a full two storeys and create self-contained living accommodation which would be tantamount to a new dwelling in the countryside in terms of its use and its appearance. Whilst a condition could be attached tying the occupation of the new building to that of the main house, the fact remains that it is a self-contained two bedroomed unit which looks like and for all intents and purposes is, a new dwelling in an area which is not designated for such development.
I confirm that this decision accords with Government Circular Nos 44/05 (Delegation of Functions to Director of Planning and Building Control) and 47/05 (Delegation of Functions to Senior Planning Officer)
Decision Made : Refused Date: 18/12/06
Signed: [Handwritten signature]
M. I. McCauley Director of Planning and Building Control
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