Change of Use Planning Statement

Change Of Use Of Buildings 1 & 2 & Re-Roofing Of Building 2, Corlett'S Yard, Union Mills

The application has arisen as a result of concerns over possible change of use of some of the buildings at Corlett's Yard. The site has been fully assessed by officers from the Planning & Building Control Division of DEFA. The application is therefore to address the concerns they have raised as per the attached email.

Corlett's Yard (Corlett Sons & Cowley) originally handled and accommodated all the grain storage, cleaning, drying and distribution arising from the island farms home grown grain. A change in agricultural policy and grant aid gradually resulted in farmers being encouraged to erect their own grain drying facilities and supply their grain direct to Laxey Glen Mills and other sources for onward processing. This in turn resulted in some of the buildings at Corlett's Yard becoming redundant for their original purpose.

The application site and that part of the yard outlined in blue is still owned by Corlett Sons and Cowley. Buildings X1,X2 and X3 are in different ownership but still accessed through Corlett's yard.

• Building 1 was erected under PA04/01248/B.
• Building 2 was erected in the 1960s/1970s.
• Building 3 was erected in the 1960s/1970s.
• Buildings 4 & 5 were built under PA14/00144/B which gave consent for an industrial unit/workshop to replace the existing structure. The building is now used as a workshop.
• Buildings X1, X2, and X3 have variously had approval for workshop, restoration of vintage & classic cars (PA91/00127/B), change of use to general motor repairs & including restoration, spraying (PA94/00475/B), and change of use to sale, hire and repair of building plant equipment (PA95/01635/C).
• Buildings 1 and 3 were originally used for storage and Building 2 for grain drying. The building comprised an open space with a small office in it. In the open space a grain drying machine was mounted on a plinth. Building 3 is still used for storage. Buildings 1 and 2 are used by Woodward Autobody which undertakes car body restoration including paint spraying and minor mechanical repairs. The current use represents an equivalent set up. There are no physical changes to the buildings.
• Building 2 was clad with fibre cement. This contained asbestos and in 2019 had, on health and safety grounds, to be replaced with box profile cladding which matches other buildings in the yard. The application is therefore to regularise the change of use of Buildings 1 and 2 for their current use and the recladding of Building 2. No photographs of Building 2 with fibre cement on are known to exist but the equivalent was used on the fore runner to Building 4 and 5 and an image is attached of this.
• Buildings 1 and 2 both face northward and take access direct from the yard. Six car parking spaces in front of them are specifically allocated for the users of these buildings. There is a tree belt on the south side of the buildings screening them from Skyrwyllin and the Memorial Hall.

Planning Policy

The site has been in industrial use for around 60 years. As recently as 2019 when assessing PA18/01248/B it was recognised that "the site whilst zoned in Braddan Local Plan as predominantly residential is industrial and commercial in nature and features a large number of warehouses, sheds, associated equipment and structures". Despite this recognised anomaly the site was still rezoned as "Predominantly Residential" in the Area Plan for the East. No specific reference is contained in that plan to the site.

Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016

As evidenced by the use of the other buildings on Corlett's Yard and the permissions given for industrial workshop uses and uses associated with the motor repair and restoration business in the adjoining buildings, there has long been acceptance that such uses are acceptable within an area zoned for Predominantly Residential purposes and do not have an adverse impact on the amenity of such an area. The use is in accordance with General Policy 2(k) and does not prejudice the development of adjoining land.

The change of use does not involve any physical changes to the external appearance of the buildings or the locality; the recladding of Building 2 has resulted in a building which ties in in appearance with others in the yard. As such the development respects the site and surroundings in accordance with General Policy 2 (b).

The buildings are accessed by a road, Burnside Lane, which was partly in the ownership of Corlett Sons and Cowley but is now in the ownership of Braddan Commissioners. The yard is gated and all the access around that part of the site serving Buildings 1 and 2 is still in the ownership of Corlett Sons and Cowley. Burnside and the former chapel, now a nursery, take direct access from the lane.

When the yard was in full use for the grain and wool trade there was a large amount of daily traffic movement particularly of heavy goods vehicles. That has been largely replaced by movement of smaller vehicles. 2000 tonnes of grain were brought in from the South of the island in the summer months; 33 people employed on the yard; now there is about 12. Buildings 1 and 2 only accommodate vehicles that are being worked on. There are approximately 40 car parking spaces in Corlett's yard as a whole and these are shared by the various businesses and their employees. Six car parking spaces outside Buildings 1 and 2 are specifically allocated to the users of these buildings. There are 3 employees in Woodward Autobody. As such the use is not generating more traffic than the original buildings and parking is adequate for the use.

Both from a traffic and parking point of view the change of use accords with General Policy 2 (h) and (i).

Work on vehicles is all done within Buildings 1 and 2. Particularly as these face and front inward to the yard, there is no impact on residential amenity from noise. Noise from traffic passing along the Douglas to Peel Road is sufficiently great to mask any noise arising in the yard, let alone from Buildings 1 and 2.

In total the proposal does not adversely affect the amenity of local residents and therefore is in accord with General Policy 2(g).