Officer Report

Application No.: 18/00477/B Applicant: Ramsey Town Commissioners Proposal: Removal of existing centre chimney stacks Site Address: 6 Albert Street Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 1JF Planning Officer: Mr Owen Gore Photo Taken: 20.09.2018 Site Visit: 20.09.2018 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 11.10.2018 _________________________________________________________________

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 external roofing materials to be used shall match those of the existing building in respect of type, colour and finish.

Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This Planning permission relates to the following plans and documents: Site Location Plan Elevation Photographs Aerial Photograph Date-stamped as having been received 09 May 2018 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The application site is part of a terraced row of existing, mostly Victorian buildings located between the entrances of Tower Street and Peel Street, opposite the tram station. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is for the removal of a chimney located on the south elevation; the chimney is located on the side of the property that fronts the main road. There is a chimney on the north elevation that will be unaffected by this proposal. PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The application site is designated as Mixed Use - Town Centre on the Ramsey Local Plan 1998 map 2 (south). The application site is not within a Conservation Area; however the boundary for the Ramsey Conservation Area forms the rear boundary of the site and it includes Bankers Court and the former Britannia Hotel to the east of the application site, both of which are also on Albert Street.

3.2 The Strategic Plan 2016 contains two policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.

3.3 The relevant extracts from General Policy 2 state: '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:

• (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; (e) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality'.

3.4 Environment Policy 36 states: 'Where development is proposed outside of, but close to, the boundary of a Conservation Area, this will only be permitted where it will not detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Conservation Area'.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The previous planning applications are not considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application.

REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only.

5.1 Representation from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division confirms that there is no highways interest in the letter dated 06 June 2018.

5.2 Ramsey Town Commissioners have commented on this application and stated that they do not object in the letter dated 20 December 2018. ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issue in this case is whether the proposed chimney is a key design feature of the historic building worthy of retention and whether its removal would detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Ramsey Conservation Area; and if it has a harmful impact on the character of the building itself.

6.2 The existing row of Victorian buildings is a prominent feature in the streetscene and stands out over the open character of the tram station site. Albert Street acts as a key route into Ramsey, linking the coast road to the town centre and Parliament Square. The existing row of terraces and the properties on Waterloo Road, leading to the application site from the east, have a strong historic character and the streetscene is characterised by Victorian buildings of varying styles.

6.3 The application building is a three storey property that doesn't appear to be the same age as the adjoining neighbours, appearing to be more modern then the properties either side; the

• property is taller, without the parapet roof design and does not have the same symmetry or detailing. The chimneys on the adjoining 2-5 Albert Street are large, prominent and solid in appearance adding charm to the skyline above these properties, and certainly form a key feature of the historic character; chimneys can also be observed on the properties to the west of the application site. There have been some unsympathetic alterations to the wide group of buildings on this row; however the historic design and materials are still very much apparent.
• 6.4 The chimney that is proposed to be removed site off centre in the roof and doesn't match the chimneys on the adjoining properties and is not considered to contribute a significant amount of character to this building or as part of the wider group of buildings. The applicant has provided very little justification as to why the removal is necessary, or indeed how it would benefit the building or the surrounding area. However in this instance, its removal is unlikely to detrimentally affect any important views into and out of the Ramsey Conservation Area.

CONCLUSION

7.1 The chimney is considered not to be such a significant feature of the character and appearance of the building to warrant refusal. The proposed works would not detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Ramsey Conservation Area, and it is therefore concluded that the application complies with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 36 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan. 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 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 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 : 12.10.2018 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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