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16/01134/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 16/01134/B Applicant : Terence And Shirley McDonald. Proposal : New detached house with associated parking Site Address : Bailrigg House Ballanard Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 5PT
Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken : 20.09.2017 Site Visit : 20.09.2017 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 17.05.2018 __
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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
C 2. Prior to the undertaking of any construction works in association with the approval hereby granted, the visibility splays shown in drawing HMTC-18/001/01A received on 6th April, 2018, must be provided and remain available and unobstructed thereafter.
Reason: in the interests of highway safety.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to drawing 1072/PL01E received on 6th April, 2017 and 14TS011-01A received on 9th February, 2017 and parking arrangements, access and visibility splays as shown in drawing reference 18/001/01A received on 6th April, 2018.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
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Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is a parcel of land situated on the western side of Ballanard Road between the Castleward Green and Abbeylands, to the north of Johnny Watterson's Lane. The site is part of a larger area which is edged blue, ie within the same ownership as the application site and which accommodates Bailrigg House, a relatively large dwelling. Immediately to the south is Brickworks Cottage sitting in around the same sized curtilage as Bailrigg House.
1.2 Brickworks Cottage, a recently redeveloped property, is clearly visible from the road but Bailrigg is well screened by existing walling and trees. The access into the site is via a low walled entrance drive which curves into the site, screening the house from view. A second gated access sits alongside, giving access to land which is part of the curtilage of Bailrigg.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a dwelling on the north eastern corner of the site with modifications to the existing access and the removal of 5 trees. The access will be formed by a widening of the existing access onto Ballanard Road and inevitably the removal of vegetation on the northern side of the existing access to create visibility over the existing stone wall. Parking for two vehicles will be available to the side of the house with turning space within such that vehicles can enter and exit the site in a forward gear.
2.2 The house will be sited as close as 3m from the road and is a two storey property with plain tendered walls and a combination of single light and three part windows with patio doors and pedestrian single doors at ground floor level. The house is relatively plain other than for a central turreted column enclosing a spiral staircase. The tower roof will sit slightly higher than the main roof. All roofing will be Marley Rivendale or similar (a thin imitation slate which lacks the solidity and irregularity of a natural slate) and grey or white uPVC framed windows.
2.3 Rainwater and foul sewage will be discharged to the existing main sewerage system.
2.4 The trees to be removed are four ash and a fir, four of which are described as good in condition and category B and one described as not a good example and category U.
2.5 The applicant has provided additional information in the form of a Highway Statement and amended plan reference 18/001/01B received on 19th February, 2018. This describes the existing situation, traffic movements, road widths, the proposal to increase the access width to 5m due to the existing access point being considered poor. The proposal will improve visibility for drivers of emerging vehicles, to 36.5m northbound and 56.7m southbound and whilst this does not fully meet highway standards, this could be considered acceptable as the 85th percentile speed of traffic travelling towards the access would be comparable with the distance available to be able to stop using sight stopping distances. Added to this, the traffic levels are relatively light and users of the road would largely be familiar with it and its access points. They suggest that the undulations in the carriageway contribute to traffic calming and reduction of vehicle speed. They refer to walking being a sustainable and practicable method of transport where a range of facilities are within 800m although those then listed are further away than that. They suggest that the 800m distance is not an upper limit and that most reasonably healthy people should be able to walk or cycle to a number of facilities from here.
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2.6 Following comments from Highway Services, the proposal has been amended in respect of the access and visibility splays, the proposal now including land to the north and providing visibility splays of 58.5m to the north and 56.7m to the south. The drawings are not consistent in their annotation and various other distances are shown on the two more recent drawings.
PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The curtilages of Brickworks Cottage and Bailrigg House are identified on the Douglas Local Plan of 1998 as Residential.
Strategic Policy 2: New development will be located primarily within our existing towns and villages, or, where appropriate, in sustainable urban extensions(2) of these towns and villages. Development will be permitted in the countryside only in the exceptional circumstances identified in paragraph 6.3.
General Policy 2: Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:
(a) is in accordance with the design brief in the Area Plan where there is such a brief; (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (d) does not adversely affect the protected wildlife or locally important habitats on the site or adjacent land, including water courses; (e) does not affect adversely public views of the sea; (f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; (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 unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; (j) can be provided with all necessary services; (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan; (l) is not on contaminated land or subject to unreasonable risk of erosion or flooding; (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption.
Housing Policy 4: New housing will be located primarily within our existing towns and villages, or, where appropriate, in sustainable urban extensions(1) of these towns and villages where identified in adopted Area Plans: otherwise new housing will be permitted in the countryside only in the following exceptional circumstances:
(a) essential housing for agricultural workers in accordance with Housing Policies 7, 8, 9 and 10; (b) conversion of redundant rural buildings in accordance with Housing Policy 11; and (c) the replacement of existing rural dwellings and abandoned dwellings in accordance with Housing Policies 12, 13 and 14.
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 No planning applications have been submitted for this site. A number of attempts have been made to develop the open land between Brickworks Cottage and the Castleward Green, all refused, and an application for extension of Brickworks Cottage, 05/00745/B was refused partly because the proposed boundary treatment into a strip of landscaping would be
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introducing an urban feature within an area which is predominantly characterised by live hedgerow/trees and its introduction would cause serious harm to the visual amenities of the locality.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Douglas Borough Council raise no obection (03.05.18).
5.2 Highway Services make a series of comments, finally concluding that the proposal is acceptable (28.10.16, 07.07.17, 05.12.17, 02.03.18, 21.03.18 and 11.05.18).
5.3 The Arboricultural Officer of DEFA expresses concern at the lack of information on the existing trees (18.01.17) but concludes on 28.03.17 that whilst the level of information is well below that expected in respect of tree protection and identification, having visited the site, the trees concerned are either too small, have structural defects or are otherwise of limited amenity value and production of the required information would not change the conclusion that there is no objection to remove the trees. Similarly, no particular work is required to protect the remaining trees as the risk of damage to other trees is low.
ASSESSMENT 6.1 This part of Ballanard Road is characterised by intermittent houses separated by hedging but where the houses are visible, some more than others, such as Brickworks Cottage which has recently been redeveloped in a modern form with the whole of the frontage opened up and the dwelling very easily visible as one passes. What is proposed will be less visible than Brickworks Cottage but visible, but what is proposed is interesting and will not detract from the character of the area.
6.2 Whilst the site is designated for development, it is not in a sustainable location and within an area where the speed of traffic is not restricted. However, it is designated for residential development and use and in the current work around the preparation of an Area Plan for the East, the land to the south of Brickworks Cottage passed the preliminary screening tests to be considered for residential development in the Preliminary Publicity stage. As such, the principle of the introduction of a new dwelling here is not considered objectionable in this case.
6.3 The plans how clearly show the parking and manoeuvring arrangements which are acceptable to DoI and whilst there is still concern about the visibility, the plans clearly show the visibility splay areas and the clearance of these above a height of 1.05m will improve visibility for those in the existing dwelling as well as providing as much visibility as is reasonably possible within the land available to the application and without creating a significant visual impact in itself. A condition should be attached requiring this to be provided prior to the commencement of any building work.
CONCLUSION 7.1 The application is supported.
INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 (Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested; (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.
8.2 The Planning Committee must determine:
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8.3 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot be given Interested Person Status.
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I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 17.05.2018 Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
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