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18/00379/B Page 1 of 6
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 18/00379/B Applicant : Bodystat Properties Ltd Proposal : Erection of a building to provide four units for storage (Class 6), industrial, light industrial (Class 5) use with associated parking and access Site Address : Site Adjacent To Bodystat Ltd (BallaKaap) Ballafletcher Road Cronkbourne Douglas Isle Of Man
Planning Officer: Miss Lucy Kinrade Photo Taken : 20.04.2018 Site Visit : 20.04.2018 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 04.12.2018 __
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. The construction of the building hereby approved shall not commence until such time as the access (including visibility splays) as shown in drawing no. BST-18-10 Rev A (date stamped 19/07/2018) has been provided. The building shall not be used at any time that the access (including visibility splays) is not available and free from obstruction, including being free from any obstruction within the visibility splays which exceeds 1050mm in height above adjoining carriageway level.
Reason: In the interests of highway safety.
C 3. The premises shall be used for general industrial, light industrial and storage and distribution and for no other purpose (including any purpose in Classes 5 and 6 of the Schedule 4 to the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012, or in any provision equivalent to that Class in any statutory instrument revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification.
Reason: The Department has assessed the impact of the development based on the uses requested in the application. The application has not been assessed for use as Research and Development or Special Industrial which would have to be subject to a subsequent application.
C 4. 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
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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 5. The approved development shall provide a maximum internal floorspace of 360 sq m only.
Reason: The parking provision for the development has been assessed on this floor area only and any proposed changes would need to form part of a separate application and assessed as such. This is to ensure sufficient parking is provided for the development in the interests of highway safety.
C 6. No development shall commence on site until a landscape scheme has been first submitted to and approved in writing by the Department showing details of the hard surface treatments to be used on the site and soft surface treatment of the open parts of the site including details of planting and any other boundary treatments to be used on the site, including a programme of implementation. All landscaping works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.
Reason: In the interests of the appearance of the development and the surrounding area.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to drawing numbers BST-18-10 Rev A, BST-18-13 and covering letter all date stamped and received 19/07/2018, and drawing number BST-18-11 date stamped and received 09/04/2018.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
NONE __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The application site is an irregularly shaped parcel of open land on the Ballafletcher Industrial Estate measuring roughly 0.19 hectares (0.46 acres) in size. It is characterised by its 'mound' shape, which rises quite steeply away from the Ballafletcher Farm Road, alongside which it is situated. It has been colonised by self-set vegetation.
1.2 The site is situated to the northwest of the Ballafletcher Farm Road. It is bounded to the northwest by a post-and-wire fence / hedging, to the south, southeast and northeast by existing industrial / warehousing buildings. To the southwest of the application site is another parcel of open land, a little larger than the application site, but which is also within the Industrial Estate. The land further to the northwest is newly laid out as sports pitches in association with Braddan Sports Centre, while to the north is the Millennium Wood.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application proposes the development of a new building on the site for use as industrial, light industrial or storage and distribution. The building is to be 32.6m long and 12m wide and is to have a central ridge height of 7m. The building is to be constructed with a concrete block base and finished with steel cladding above. Internally the building will provide 4 individual units each approx. 8m wide. The front elevation will comprise 4 roller shutter doors within which
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are single access pedestrian doors. Above the roller shutters and across the entire length of the south facing front elevation the application proposes the installation of 32 solar panels.
2.2 The building is to sit approx. 2.5m above the main estate road. Access is provided on the western side via a 6m wide access road which is to run in front of the proposed building. 3 parking spaces are provided to the front of each unit each space measuring 5m x 2.5m.
2.3 Visibility splays of 2.4m x 43m are set out the submitted drawings.
2.4 The current proposal follows the submission of the original drawings which were considered by highways to detail insufficient information with regards to the visibility splays and an access width 2m below highway standards.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 Most recently full planning approval was granted under PA 16/01340/B for the removal of soil to flatten the northwestern part of the site, with a view to making "it easier to visualise the most appropriate proposed ground level for future development for which the site is currently zoned". It unknown if this application has yet been implemented but it must be noted that the approval is still within its 4 year time period.
3.2 It is also worth noting that there have been applications seeking approval for industrial buildings both on this site (PA 10/01445/B) and the neighbouring land to the northeast (PA 10/01446/B), and previously on both these and another parcel of land (PAs 07/00652/B and 99/02128/B). The latter of the two 2010 applications was taken up, while the former was not and has since expired.
4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN 4.1 The application site falls within an area zoned as Predominantly Industrial on the Braddan Parish District Local Plan 1991. The site has also been included within an area designated for Industrial use on the draft Area Plan for the East. Given that the proposal fits with the land use designation it is most appropriate to consider the standards of development as set out in General Policy 2 along with Paragraph 9.2.7 and the parking standards of Appendix 7 of the IOM Strategic Plan.
4.2 General Policy 2 states (in part): "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; f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly tress 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; n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."
4.3 Business Policy 5: "On land zoned for industrial use, permission will be given only for industrial development or for storage and distribution; retailing will not be permitted except where either:
(a) the items to be sold could not reasonably be sold from a town centre location because of their size or nature; or
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(b) the items to be sold are produced on the site and their sale could not reasonably be severed from the overall business;
and, in respect of (a) or (b), where it can be demonstrated that the sales would not detract from the vitality and viability of the appropriate town centre shopping area."
4.4 Paragraph 9.2.7
"Where industrial development is proposed, it is essential that all parking and manoeuvring by vehicles which will be generated by the use of the site can be accommodated within the site and off the highway. This is particularly important within industrial estates where lack of parking and manoeuvring space can create significant difficulties for other estate users, particularly where the use of large and articulated vehicles is involved. Where mezzanine levels are proposed after a building has been completed, the Department may require more parking space to accommodate the additional traffic which would be generated. The standards of parking provision which will be required are set out in Appendix 7."
4.4 Appendix 7 sets out the following parking standards for each of the proposed uses:
Light industrial, research and development = 1 space per 30 square metres nett floor space. General industrial = 1 space per 50 square metres gross floor space. Storage and distribution = 1 space per 100 square metres gross floor space.
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only.
5.1 Braddan Parish Commissioners o No Objection (08/05/2018) o Confirmed No Objection (AMENDED PLANS) (03/08/2018)
lack of information with regards to visibility splays and access width below the required 6m standards for cars and larger vehicles.
a condition is recommended ensuring the provision of site access, parking and vehicles manoeuvring areas being provided prior to occupation and their permanent retention unobstructed thereafter.
5.3 Neighbours' views o No comments received.
6.0 ASSESSMENT
PRINCIPLE 6.1 The proposal is for the development of a 4 unit building for use as industrial, light industrial or storage and distribution. The site is located within an area already designated for industrial use
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and therefore the principle of the development is considered acceptable in accordance with Business Policy 5. The fundamental tests of the current application therefore fall to the visual impacts of the development and whether the proposal meets with the highway standards required for such a development.
VISUAL IMPACT 6.3 The site and proposed unit will be readily visible from the main Industrial estate road and from adjacent nearby buildings although this style and design of the unit is typically found in such areas as this. While the level of the site is notably higher than the road, the finished floor level and heights of the proposed unit are not so far removed from neighbouring property BallaKaap (Bodystat Ltd) a two storey headquarters building approved under PA 10/01446/B. It would be difficult to argue that the proposed development would be inappropriate in visual terms for the area, relative to the size and scale of adjacent buildings and former applications for buildings approved here.
6.4 Part of the site may be visible from the adjacent sports fields to the rear of the site, although given the similarities in height to the adjacent neighbour and that the proposal is to be read in conjunction with the wider industrial estate it is unlikely that the proposal will generate any adverse impacts on the wider character of the area or the appearance of the general estate. Neighbouring sites have sought to incorporate tree and shrub planting within their grounds, the current application indicates low shrub planting nearest the roadside sloping boundary but does not indicate any soft landscaping for the open parts of the site towards the rear although this could be addressed via condition.
6.5 The building incorporates 4 units each with a large front roller access door and smaller pedestrian access. Running along the front elevation of the unit and just below the 6m eaves is a row of proposed solar panels. It is expected that these panels will work towards improving the overall energy efficiency of the building.
HIGHWAYS 6.6 The proposed building is indicated to be for a mix of industrial, light industrial and storage use. Aforementioned in section 4.0 of this report each of these uses requires a different demand in vehicle parking. As the information submitted for the application does not specify which of the units will be used for what purpose it is necessary to 'err on the side of caution' and require that the building provide a minimum of 1 space per 30 sq m.
6.7 To the front of the building there are 12 proposed parking spaces, 3 spaces per unit. Highways stated that 3 spaces per unit meets the required standards and that although 2 of the 3 spaces are provide in front of the roller shutter doors that this is a typical arrangement for industrial units and that it would be up to each unit occupier to manage this and move any parked cars throughout the day to facilitate access for the roller shutters or service vehicles.
6.8 Following the submission of additional information and plans it was concluded that Highway Services were happy with the turning arrangement in front of the building and that the width of the access now being 6m wide met with the standards and the site junction was provided with safe and sufficient visibility in both directions.
6.9 To ensure the highway safety of the site Highways Services recommended that suitably worded conditions be added to revoke the installation of any mezzanine floors within the development unless part of a subsequent planning application and assessment, and ensuring the site access, visibility splays and manoeuvring areas are all provided prior to the occupation of the development and permanently maintained unobstructed thereafter.
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 The application is considered to meet with the tests of Business Policy 5 and the general standards towards development set out in General Policy 2. Following the submission of amended plans it is also now considered that the proposal meets with the required highways standards for
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such an industrial development in accordance with Paragraph 9.2.7 and Appendix 7 of the Strategic Plan.
7.2 The application is recommended for approval subject those conditions recommended by Highway Services, a condition limiting the use to industrial, light industrial or service and distribution only and a condition relating to the provision of a landscaping scheme for both soft and hard surfaces, particularly for the open parts of the site and the provision of planting.
7.3 It was noted that part of the visibility splay detailed within the submitted drawings crossed land not under ownership of the applicant. Following discussions with the agent and DEFA Enforcement it was considered that a suitably worded Grampian condition be added to the approval stating that the access as detailed on drawing BST-18-10 Rev A must be completed prior to any commencement of any other works on the site.
8.0 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: 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 in Article 6(4) who should be given Interested Person Status. __
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 : 05.12.2018
Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
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