Planning Application Response

Email: [email protected] Officer: MB

Date of Response: 28/06/18

Date of Application: 15/06/18

Application Reference: 18/00583/B

Location: 5 Brunswick Road, Douglas, IM2 3LH

Description: Conversion of ground floor accommodation to private doctor's surgery, including creation of off-street parking area to rear

Highway Comments: The proposed off-street parking area was previously approved under the 17/00820/B planning consent for the site which was for the creation of parking to the rear yard and additional use of the ground floor shop (Class 1) as living accommodation. The ground floor of the property has historically been used as a shop and can be used either as a shop or as living accommodation according to planning condition no. 2 of the 17/00820/B planning permission. The upper floors are used as residential accommodation and would be unchanged, and planning condition no. 3 of that approval prevents the ground floor from being used as a separate dwelling from the upper floors if used for residential rather than retail purposes.

The application states that the surgery would be used for aesthetic procedures and occupy the whole ground floor of the premises. It would operate between 9am and 5pm 5 days a week on an appointment only basis, with appointments for varied time periods but typically between 30 and 60 minutes. The living accommodation would be occupied by the practice manager.

The existing pedestrian access to the building frontage would be retained as at present with the building entrances unchanged. There is no existing site parking but 2 new car parking spaces were proposed as part of the 17/00820/B planning permission, with access to the rear lane via a roller shutter door and side gates to the side lane, which would also be provided in exactly the same site layout for the current application. The parking standards in 'The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016' require 2 car parking spaces for a dwelling which is acceptable for the 2017 consented residential use of the ground floor.

The parking standards for medical/health services are 3 spaces per consulting room plus staff parking. The proposed floor plan shows that there would be 1 consulting room so 3 spaces plus staff parking would be needed to comply with the parking standards. The site provision of 2 spaces is below this level. However, as the ground floor has previously been used as a shop, which would require staff and customer parking, without any site parking provided, it could be argued that the proposed surgery could generate a similar parking demand. The site parking demand from customers could be limited by providing a gap of at least 15 minutes between appointments which would only require 1 customer parking space, leaving 1 space for staff which is considered acceptable. The highway and parking impact of the proposal would therefore be afforded highway support subject to this planning condition.

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Highway Services does not oppose the application subject to a planning condition for the development to operate on an appointment only basis, with a gap of at least 15 minutes between appointments, to limit the site parking demand in the interest of highway safety and amenity.

Recommendation: DNOC