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                                      18/00909/C                                     Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 18/00909/C Applicant : Lisa Hennessy And Edward Forbes Proposal : Change of use from commercial unused offices to a residential property Site Address : 6 Kingswood Grove Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 3LX

Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 01.10.2018 __

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following plans and drawings:

o Site Plan o Location Plan o Floor plans

All date stamped as received on 24th August 2018

__

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

NONE __ Officer’s Report

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1.0 SITE

1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of 6 Kingswood Grove, Douglas, IM1 3XL. It is a terraced 4-storey building previously in use as an office space and classed as such. The building has a white painted render finish and white sash windows with a large bay window on the ground floor. 1.2 The property lies within the Windsor Road Conservation Area and site opposite the Manx Museum. The general area is characterised by neatly terraced rows of mainly private dwellings, featuring semi-ornate frontages and cream or white painted render. The properties are set close to the roadside. 1.3 There is a single parking space at the rear of the property, accessible via a narrow access lane adjacent to 4 Kingswood Grove. Parking at the front of the building is only possible via on-street parking.

2.0 PROPOSAL

2.1 The proposal is for a change of use only from unused commercial offices to a 5 bedroom residential dwelling. There are no exterior changes proposed in this application. 2.2 The proposal includes plans for 3 bathrooms and 1 kitchen to be included in the dwelling, with some internal walls being removed to accommodate this.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The proposal site is located in an area designated within the Douglas Local Plan 1998 as 'Predominantly Residential' (Map 3, Centre)

3.2 It is important to consider the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, General Policy 2 when assessing this application.

General Policy 2 (GP2) - Development within land-use zones;

"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; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality;"

3.3 Environment Policy 35 must also be considered:

"Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The planning history reveals that the property had initially been used as a residence previous to a certificate for lawful use as an office space being agreed in 2011 (11/01758/LAW). The case officer report at the time estimated that the building had been used as an office for around ten years previously, as of at least 2001. 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

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5.1 Douglas Corporation have no objection (28.09.18).

6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 It is important to consider 3 key areas when assessing this application for change of use: o Character of the townscape o Local resident amenity o Parkings'

6.2 Character of the townscape As there are no proposed alterations to the exterior of the property, visual impact on the area will not be an issue. With the site being situated within Windsor Road Conservation Area, the lack of exterior changes will result in no adverse visual effect on the character of the townscape and the appearance of the conservation area. As the area is designated as predominantly residential, the change of use from these offices to residential is in keeping with the character of the area. This is further supported by the fact that the property was previously residential. As the building is currently unused, such usage should be encouraged in order to provide maintenance and upkeep to the building, thus enhancing the streetscene.

6.3 Local residents' amenity The proposal is not regarded to have an adverse potential impact on the amenity of the local residents living on Kingswood Grove, Osborne Road or Windsor Road. The site has previously been used as an office space which would have had a greater impact during daytime hours. Noise levels are unlikely to be affected, as are odour or pollution levels.

6.4 Parking The majority of vehicle parking provision in the area around the site is on-street. Whilst the offices were in use, this is likely to have put strain on limited parking availability parking in the area. The single parking space at the rear is, and has been in use and no changes to this are likely. The use of the property as a single dwelling once more will keep parking requirements to a minimum.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION

7.1 Based on the above assessment, the proposal for change of use from office to residential is in keeping with the relevant requirements and policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016. The living conditions of the neighbouring properties are not likely to be affected and there would be no adverse impact on the designated Conservation Area. The application proposal is therefore 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

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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 a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted

Date: 02.10.2018

Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett

Principal Planner

Customer note

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