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19/01250/B Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 19/01250/B Applicant : Manx Utilities Authority Proposal : Installation of a heat pump to replace existing boiler Site Address : Rosecroft Malew Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1LT
Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken : 28.11.2019 Site Visit : 28.11.2019 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.01.2020 __
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 drawings and information received on 8th November, 2019. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The application site represents the curtilage of an existing detached dwelling, Rosecroft, Malew Street, Castletown. The site is located on the eastern side of Malew Street, near to its junction with Alexandra Road.
1.2 The dwelling is a modern two storey house with additional living accommodation in the roof space; served by three pitch roofed dormer windows on the front elevation. The dwelling
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faces west onto Malew Street, with 2 North Croft situated on its southern boundary. A double garage is attached to the southern side elevation of the house with driveway directly linked to Malew Street.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the Installation of a heat pump to replace existing boiler for the dwelling. The air source heat pump would be 1m wide, 0.4m deep and 1m in height - situated 3.5m from the boundary with 2 North Croft, Arbory Road (south elevation) and 2.4m from the boundary with Northcroft, Alexandra Road (east elevation).
2.2 Noise levels provided by the product specifications submitted indicate that the noise emitted by the unit would be 47 dB(a) at a distance of 1m. Noise from the average home is around 40dB.
PLANNING POLICIES 3.1 The application site is located within an area designated as P Residential Use on the Area Plan for the South 2011. The site is not located within the Castletown Conservation Area.
3.2 General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 is therefore relevant:
"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 and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."
3.3 The Strategic Plan also provides guidance on the installation of renewable energy apparatus:
"12.2.8 The Department is fully supportive of the need to secure greater energy efficiency in new and existing development and has recently introduced additional energy efficiency requirements in the Building Regulations 2003. Energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources are covered in General Policy 2(m) of the Building Regulations. At the same time the Department recognizes that renewable energy sources can have adverse environmental impacts. The idea of a wind turbine Installation is currently being investigated and considered by the Manx Electricity Authority. Any feasible site is likely to be exposed and have considerable visual impact. There may also be other impacts such as noise. On a smaller scale, the popularity of domestic wind turbines has been increasing in recent years in response to rising energy prices and increasing awareness of climate change. Planning applications for domestic wind turbines are unlikely to require the submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment. The Department will assess any proposals for wind turbine installations by weighing the benefits of using such renewable energy sources against the environmental impact arising in any particular site. It is likely that the visual impact would be less detrimental on a coastal site than on a rural or upland one.
Accordingly:
3.4 Energy Policy 4: Development involving alternative sources of energy supply, including wind, water and tide power, and the use of solar panels, will be judged against the environmental objectives and policies set out in this Plan. Installations involving wind, water and tide power will require the submission of an EIA."
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PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 There are no previous planning applications associated with the property which are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this 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 Highway Interest' in a letter dated 29 November 2019.
5.2 Castletown Commissioners although consulted on 20 November 2019, have not commented on this application at the time of drafting this report.
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The proposal will accord with GP2 (n) in respect of non-renewable energy consumption and the general support in the Strategic Plan for the installation of renewable energy installations. The apparatus is modest in size - it is likely that the visual impact would be low given the positioning at the rear of the garage; not visible from any public vantage point or highway. In this respect the proposal accords with GP2 (b, c, g).
6.2 In terms of noise impact, the sound pressure level of the heat pump at 47dB at 1m would not be significantly different than that expected from an outdoor oil boiler. For reference, 50dB is similar to the noise generated by light traffic, 60dB that of normal conversation or an air conditioner. There will be a background noise generated but this is not considered likely to have a detrimental impact on the amenity of the neighbours given the boundary treatment in between these dwellings and the 3.2metre distance to the adjacent dwelling's nearest point; the attached garage (the boiler will be 8.3m from the nearest habitable room on this abutting dwelling).
6.3 It is not usual for noise measurement conditions to be attached to applications such as this as statutory nuisance is taken care of by other legislation within Government. The technical data accompanying this application will be referred to in the decision notice so if there were to be a substantial increase in noise emission from the unit, the applicant would be required to explain why this is the case given the noise levels given in the supporting information.
CONCLUSION 7.1 The proposal is considered to accord with GP2 and Energy Policy 4 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan, as well as wider Government climate change strategy and is recommended for approval.
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:
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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: 02.01.2020
Determining officer
Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett
Principal Planner
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