Plans lodged for seven homes beside TT course at Kirk Michael

A company has applied for approval in principle to build up to seven homes on land next to the TT course at Kirk Michael, Isle of Man Today and Manx Radio have reported.

The site, put forward by Pennybridge Investments Ltd, lies behind the filling station at the northern end of the village, according to Isle of Man Today. Manx Radio described the land as being at Pennybridge. It is made up of a large barn used for farming and horses, together with a neighbouring field, and has access onto the A3, part of the TT course.

An application for approval in principle asks whether a development is acceptable on a site at all, with the detailed design left for a later application.

Final designs have not yet been drawn up. Isle of Man Today said the application points to a mix of homes: two two-storey houses built as a semi-detached pair, four dormer bungalows and one detached bungalow. The planning statement places the single bungalow at the north of the site, with the rest of the homes set out beside it, the outlet reported.

According to Manx Radio, the scheme also includes a new access road, drainage, landscaping and six visitor spaces. The applicant intends to leave a “long area of open space” between the homes and the road to keep the “open vista as one exits the village at this point”, the station reported.

The planning statement accepts that the land is not designated for development in the Kirk Michael Local Plan 1994, but argues that the area has changed a great deal since then, Manx Radio said. Isle of Man Today reported that the statement cites the site’s planning history, its potential for industrial use and its existing surroundings in support of housing there.

The statement argues that the benefits of building homes on the site “outweigh the apparent conflict with the land use designation”, both outlets reported.

The company says the scheme would provide “seven much needed dwellings for a service village which is struggling to deliver any new homes”, and that new residents would help support the village’s shops, café, church and school, according to the reports.

On flooding, Isle of Man Today said the applicant believes any risk could be managed with drainage measures such as soakaways and by building the homes above flood levels.

Planning officers will consider the application at a later date, the outlet reported.