4 October 2023 · Delegated - Principal Planner (Chris Balmer)
21, Thorny Road, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM2 5eg
The site is a detached two-storey dwellinghouse in a residential area of Douglas, adjacent to the Selbourne Drive Conservation Area. The proposal involves demolishing a poor-condition garage with asbestos roof tiles and replacing it with a summer house (4.5m x 7.5m) featuring a dual-pitched slate roof, brickwork matchi…
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The officer assessed the principle of development as acceptable within the residential settlement boundary of Douglas under Spatial Policy 1, where extensions and replacement outbuildings are presumed…
Spatial Policy 5
Requires consideration of design and visual impact. The officer found the replacement outbuilding acceptable as it mirrors the existing form with comparable materials, well-recessed from the streetscene, posing no material impact on character or adjacent Conservation Area.
Strategic Policy 1
Governs development in Douglas. The site is within the settlement boundary zoned residential, presuming in favour of replacement outbuildings if no adverse impacts on adjacent properties or area.
General Policy 2
General development considerations, including design (b,c) and neighbouring amenity (g). Proposal complies as scale uplift is modest with no harm to light, overshadowing, overdominance, or overlooking.
Environment Policy 36
Development adjacent to Conservation Areas. Replacement building safeguards character and appearance of adjacent Selbourne Drive Conservation Area due to recession and matching materials.
Environment Policy 42 - character and need to adhere to local distinctiveness
Designed to respect character and identity of locality. Proposal utilises existing Manx stone walls, brickwork, and slate, considered reasonably well-designed and appropriate.
Time limit
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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
Incidental use only
The summerhouse hereby approved shall only be used in association with the main dwelling house "21 Thorny Road" and for purposes incidental to the use of main dwelling house "21 Thorny Road" as a single dwelling for no residential/tourist purposes and only in accordance with the internal layout shown on "Floor Plan A" dated on the 12.07.2023. Reason: The application does not propose to create separate units of accommodation within the site and has not been considered as such; to prevent the accommodation being used as self-contained/tourist accommodation which is unrelated to the main dwelling house; avoiding any future fragmentation of the curtilage; and the living accommodation being used separately from the main dwelling house would result in a unacceptable level of overlooking of the occupants of this main dwelling house "21 Thorny Road".
No objections.
Development would have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking.
Highway Services, Douglas Borough Council, and DEFA Biodiversity all raised no objections to application 23/00796/B, with DEFA requesting conditions related to nesting birds and bats, and Highways providing an advisory note on cycle parking.
Key concern: potential for nesting birds in the existing garage
Highway Services HDC
No ObjectionAfter reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking.; The Applicant is advised to consider installing cycle parking in an enclosed and secure storage facility to aid Active Travel.
Douglas Borough Council
No ObjectionDouglas Borough Council has no objections.
DEFA Biodiversity
Conditional No Objectionthorough checks for nesting birds must be undertaken prior to the demolition, if nesting birds are present the demolition must stop and can only recommence once nesting has finished and the young have fledged.; Because of this potential we also request that a condition is secured on approval for a nest brick suitable for swifts to be built high up in the north or western elevation of the new summerhouse.; We also believe that there is some limited potential for roosting bats within the building and therefore checks for bats must also be made prior to demolition
Conditions requested: a condition is secured on approval for a nest brick suitable for swifts to be built high up in the north or western elevation of the new summerhouse; thorough checks for nesting birds must be undertaken prior to the demolition; checks for bats must also be made prior to demolition
