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18/00627/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 18/00627/B Applicant : Manx Utilities Authority Proposal : Temporary car park for use by the Department of Health Site Address : Ballacloan School Demesne Road Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3DX
Principal Planner: Mr Chris Balmer Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Planning Committee
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 23.07.2018 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The use hereby approved shall be for a limited period of 8 months from the date of this approval and on (or before) the expiry of this approval the use shall be discontinued.
Reason: The development has only been found to be acceptable on a short term basis because it meets a specific need.
Plans/Drawings/Information:
This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 14th June 2018.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
It is recommended that the following persons should not be given Interested Person Status as they are not considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 6(4):
The owners/occupiers of Flat 1, 42 Demesne Road, Douglas The owners/occupiers of Flat 1, 40 Demesne Road, Douglas __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE IS BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS THE PROPOSED USE COULD BE CONSIDERED CONTRARY TO THE LAND USE DESIGNATION OF THE SITE BUT RECOMMENDED AS AN APPROVAL.
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1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the playground of the former Ballacloan School located along the north- western side of Demesne Road within Douglas.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks approval for the temporary car park for use by the Department of Health only. There are no physical alterations proposed. The temporary use would be for a total period of 8 months for staff of Department of Health only. This is required as the existing car park at the end of Ballakermeen Road, requires extensive work undertaken by Manx Utilities as the structure of the car park has failed.
2.2 The car park would enable critical care staff member who carry heavy medical equipment, to park near the ambulance station which is still at the former Nobles hospital site. The applicants have expanded by stating: "amongst others it is the Physiotherapists and Paediatricians carrying their equipment from their cars, after parking in the staff car-park now closed off for the works, into Old Nobles Hospital and onto the departments where they work inside the building."
3.0 PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area of "Area of Buildings for Civic, Cultural and other Special Use
3.2 Transport Policy 4 states: "The new and existing highways which serve any new development must be designed so as to be capable of accommodating the vehicle and pedestrian journeys generated by that development in a safe and appropriate manner, and in accordance with the environmental objectives of this plan."
3.3 The recently completed "Planning Review" included the following policy which stated:
"Council of Ministers have agreed the following Policy with immediate effect:
In order to continue to incentivise and support site redevelopment and the associated economic development, Planning Approval should not normally be given for brownfield sites to be used as temporary car parks."
4.0 REPRESENTATIONS 4.1 The owners/occupiers of Flat 1, 42 Demesne Road, Douglas object to the application on the following grounds (04.08.18): for 40 years I have seen the commercial end of Demesne Road change from commercial to a much more reduced and acceptable form of business such as Nursery, school , hair dressers and ladies gym; I cannot imagine the Department of Health has much use for parking cars in the playground because it already in the Crookall House Car Park so it must be for the storage of Plant Hire and Machinery; state of roads along Demesne Road are terrible; security for any vehicle would be impossible; and I object that Demesne Road is primarily residential and unfit for the use intended.
4.2 The owners/occupiers of Flat 1, 40 Demesne Road, Douglas object to the application on the following grounds (04.07.18): I have been a resident of Demesne Road since 1983 and seen the creeping commercialisation of the lower end of this road; if this is for the use of cars only, then I have no objection; and if this application is for the storage of Plant and Hire and Heavy Equipment then I do object as a buildings storage yard being established in this residential area.
5.0 PLANNING HISTORY
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5.1 The site has been the subject of a recent application for redevelopment - PA 08/00221/B for the construction of building to provide 33 apartments with integral parking.
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 Whilst the provision of temporary car parks within the town can be useful as a stop gap between a site being cleared and its re-development, they can also become less attractive elements of the streetscene as, because they are only temporary, little effort can be spent on tidying and improving the appearance of the site - the various car parks along Back Strand Street and Market Street are examples of this, as are the car parks at the corner of Peel Road and Circular Road and opposite Tesco. This site is slightly different in that its former uses were as builder's yard/warehouse building and was also used as former vehicle maintenance shed and therefore its use and appearance did not accord with the residential land use designation.
6.2 Due to the concern of potential development sites being uses for these uses, and not redevelopment, the Council of Ministers indicated that; "...Planning Approval should not normally be given for brownfield sites to be used as temporary car parks."
6.3 In this case there are considered to be acceptable reasons why a temporary period of 8 months should be allowed. These are:
The time period of 8 months would likely not conflict with the Eastern Area Plan (this and surrounding areas designated as mixed use) which has just been produced in Draft form (i.e. it is likely the site will revert back to its current used, before the plan is formally adopted in apx 1 year - hence the scheme would not be prevent any development of the site during the 8 month period);
The needs are very specific (i.e. critical care DHSC staff/heavy equipment etc);
The proposal will enable repairs to the existing car park; and
The proposal is not for monetary gain.
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 Accordingly, for these specific reasons it is considered in this case the temporary use of this site for 8 months is acceptable.
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 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. __
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I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the appropriate delegated authority.
Decision Made : Permitted
Committee Meeting Date: 30.07.2018
Signed : C Balmer Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report and amended condition was required
YES/NO See below
PLANNING COMMITTEE DECISION 30.07.2018
Application No. :
18/00627/B Applicant : Manx Utilities Authority Proposal : Temporary car park for use by the Department of Health Site Address : Ballacloan School Demesne Road Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3DX
Principal Planner : Mr Chris Balmer Presenting Officer As above
Addendum to the Officer’s Report
After discussion the Planning Committee agreed with the recommendation subject to Condition 1 being altered to restrict the use to Department of Health staff.
Conditions of Approval
C 1. The use hereby approved shall only be for Department of Health staff and be for a limited period of 8 months; from the date of this approval and on (or before) the expiry of this approval the use shall be discontinued.
Reason: The development has only been found to be acceptable on a short term basis because it meets a specific need.
Plans/Drawings/Information:
This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 14th June 2018.
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18/00627/B Page 5 of 5
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