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23/00952/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/00952/B Applicant : EB Holdings Ltd Proposal : Proposed new light industrial, storage, or distribution unit Site Address : Units 46-51 Block L White Hoe Industrial Estate Old Castletown Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 1QD
Planning Officer: Mr Hamish Laird Photo Taken : 06.09.2023 Site Visit : 06.09.2023 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.09.2023 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. 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.
C 2. The development hereby approved shall not be occupied or operated until the parking and turning areas have been provided in accordance with the approved plans. Such areas shall not be used for any purpose other than the parking and turning of vehicles associated with the development and shall remain free of obstruction for such use at all times.
Reason: To ensure that sufficient provision is made for off-street parking and turning of vehicles in the interests of highway safety.
C 3. The units shall be used only for Use Class 2.2 (Light Industrial and Research and Development) and/or Use Class 2.4 (Storage or Distribution) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 2019 or equivalent classes in any replacement to that order.
REASON: To safeguard the character of the area and planning approval only sought these uses and therefore considered on these basis only.
C 4. No unit hereby approved shall have a mezzanine floor installed without first receiving prior written approval from DEFA Planning.
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Reason: to ensure that there is sufficient parking in accordance with the Strategic Plan (2016) parking standards.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application has been recommended for approval as it is deemed to be in accordance with General Policy 2, Strategic Policy 4; 5; 6; 7; 10, Environment Policy 7; 10; 22, Business Policy 1; 2; 5, and Transport Policy 7.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 15.08.2023. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None. __
Officer’s Report
1.0 APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The application site is a piece of land which lies within the White Hoe Industrial estate on the northern side of the A25 Old Castletown Road. The site lies lower than the public highway and is accessed therefrom by an estate road which runs from the west of the IRIS pump station and to the east of an existing car park and three existing industrial units whose ridges run west to east. The site is part of a wider area which runs north as far as the steam railway line.
1.2 Within the estate a number of industrial buildings of varying dimensions have previously been built. There is a common theme in colour and design of the buildings.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a light industrial building on the site together with fourteen parking spaces to the north of the building. The building would measure 22.7m by 18.6m, 5.8m to the eaves and 8.0m to the ridge. The building will be finished in light green cladding and mid green trim, matching the existing building to the east within the site.
2.2 The building is proposed to be used for light industrial or storage and distribution purposes. The building would measure 31.5m by 19m providing a floor area of 536 sqm which would accommodate 6 individual units within, with a total of 19 parking spaces. The building will be finished in light grey/silver cladding and dark blue trim. The building is proposed to be used for light industrial or storage and distribution purposes.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 This application site has not been the subject of any previous planning applications that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.
3.2 Within the immediate area/ estate there have been a number of approvals for the erection of light industrial buildings. 23/00542/LAW - Certificate of Lawful Use for associated storage, maintenance and repairs workshop - Certificate Granted -17/5/23. 20/01433/B - Erection of light industrial, storage or distribution unit. Approved. 19/00820/C - Change of use of industrial unit to a car showroom - Block H - Approved. 18/00686/C - Change of use of industrial unit to wholesale food cash and carry - Unit 2, Block a - Refused.
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16/00649/B - Erection of an industrial building. Approved 14/00948/B - Construction of a light industrial or storage and distribution unit. Approved. 13/00334/C - Change of use from light industrial to a gymnasium - Approved. 11/00754/B - Erection of an industrial/storage building with forecourt car parking - Approved. 10/01257/B - Retention of a building comprising of 4 units to be used for light industrial or storage / distribution purposes, and the retention of a hard standing area for additional car parking. Approved. 10/01256/C - Change of use from light industrial or storage / distribution to warehousing and retail of building materials. Approved 07/01212/B - Creation of an Industrial Estate layout. Approved.
4.0 DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES 4.1 In terms of local plan policy, the site lies within an area designated on the Douglas Local Plan of 1998 as part of a wider area of Open Space and Woodland (Private Woodland). Although the site now forms part of a wider established industrial estate as approved under PA 07/01212/B. The site is not within a Conservation Area.
4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains two policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application:
b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the space around them; c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; i) does not have an adverse effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways."
4.3 Transport Policy 7: 'The Department will require that in all new development, parking provision must be in accordance with the Department's current standards.' The standard in respect of light industrial requires there to be one parking space per 30 sq m of floor space for light industrial use, one per 50 sq m of industrial floor space and 1 per 100 sq m of storage and distribution floor space.
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Douglas Borough Council have no objection (1/9/23)
5.2 Highway Services (31/08/23) Comments: The proposal would see the extension of an existing industrial estate off Old Castletown Road. The road infrastructure to facilitate the movement of vehicles to and from the site is already in place. The creation of six additional units will constitute an intensification of use of the inner road network and the junction onto Old Castletown Road, however, Highways consider both the road network and the junction to be of sufficient design standard to accommodate the additional vehicular movements.
The six units measure approximately 90m2 each. Using the Strategic Plan parking standards, the development would require 1 space per 30m2, equating to three parking spaces per unit. The proposal has provided three spaces per unit, as per the requirement, with unit 49 benefiting from an extra space. To the north-east of the site there is a dedicated turning head to facilitate some larger vehicles within the estate. The development and parking spaces do not adversely impact the use of this turning head.
The proposal raises no significant road safety or highway network efficiency issues. Accordingly, Highway Services Development Control raises no objection to the proposal.
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Recommendation: DNO = Do Not Oppose
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The fundamental issues to consider in the assessment of this planning application are; (i) the impact of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
6.2 The proposed use and building would be compatible with the original permission and surrounding buildings. The development will have little in the way of visual impact in terms of change to the character and appearance of the area as it is a developing industrial estate with buildings of a similar character already on the site. In agreement
6.3 With regard to parking 19 spaces have been provided on the basis the use will be for light industrial which is at the upper end of parking requirements should the use change to general industrial.
6.4 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services raised no objection to the proposal. There are no residential neighbours close-by to the site and no neighbours amenities would be affected by the development.
7.0 RECOMMENDATION 7.1 Overall, it is concluded that the planning application is in accordance with aforementioned General Policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and is recommended for approval.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
8.2 The decision maker must determine: o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status __
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 02.10.2023
Determining officer
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Signed : J SINGLETON
Jason Singleton
Principal Planner
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