DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No.: 19/01333/B Applicant: Corlett Sons & Cowley Proposal: Erection of a detached agricultural / industrial storage building Site Address: Corlett Sons And Cowley Yard Main Road Union Mills Isle Of Man IM4 4AD Planning Officer: Mrs Vanessa Porter Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 24.02.2020 _________________________________________________________________

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.

• C 2. Prior to the coming into use of the building hereby approved, the parking spaces as shown on drawing referenced Appendix 2 date stamped 04/02/2020 shall be laid out and be available for parking at all times. Reason: In the interest of suitable parking provision and highway safety.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

Although contrary to the land use designation of the Braddan Local Plan, the site has a long established use for industrial purposes. The proposal for a new industrial unit is considered to be in keeping with this established use, and to have an acceptable visual impact. The proposal is not to result in any new amenity impacts beyond the existing industrial uses and while occupying an existing hardstanding area, the unit is to be provided with a sufficient number of parking spaces and is not to result in any net changes or negative impact to parking provision for the wider industrial area and no new highway safety or parking issues are expected.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to drawing numbers P6335-01 and photographs 1, 2, 3 and 4 all date stamped and received 27/11/2019 and drawings referenced Appendix 1, 2 and 3 and supporting statement all date stamped and received 04/02/2020.

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THIS APPLICATION IS BROUGHT BEFORE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS IT COULD BE CONSIDERED TO BE A DEPARTURE FROM THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, HIGHWAY SERVICES HAVE OBJECTED AND IS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL.

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The site is the curtilage of the Corlett Sons & Cowley Depot on Main Road, Union Mills. The site is an industrial grain store with a number of large warehouses and sheds on the site. To the south west of the site adjoining the boundary is Burnside Cottage, a traditional stone cottage. There are a number of residential dwellings to the west and open fields to the north. The chapel to the south of the site and sitting along the Main Road is also owned by the applicant and approved for use as a nursery. - 1.2 The area of the site is mainly concrete hard standing used as an area for car parking. To the west of the hardstanding and adjacent to the large steel fence and gate access from Maitland Terrace Lane is a timber cabin recently approved under PA 18/01248/B for use as an office in association with the wider site.

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a detached steel framed and sheet clad building on the area of hardstanding and along the northern boundary with the agricultural field. The proposed building is to be 14.7m long x 7.7m wide and 3.5m high to eaves and 4.5m to ridge. Two large

3m x 3m roller doors are proposed on the front elevation facing and two smaller pedestrian doors.

2.2 The proposed building is to be mixed use agricultural and industrial storage building. - 2.3 Additional information submitted for the application date stamped 04/02/2020 outlines 9 car parking spaces are to be provide within the red line site; 5 for the new building, 1 for the small timber office and 3 for the adjacent nursery use.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 The site has been subject to a number of planning applications over the past years. Permission has been granted for the installation of a grain drier adjacent to the grain store (87/04038/B), a 5000 gallon oil storage tank/storage compound (88/01916/B), the provision of toilet facilities (90/00176/B), Approval in Principle for the extension of a warehouse (99/00326/A), the erection of An agricultural shed (04/02530/B) and most recently the timber office building approved under P 18/01248/B. - 3.2 Also under ownership of the applicant is The Old Chapel situated on the main, this was recently approved under 17/00481/B for an increased number of children attending the approved nursery use subject to a condition relating to parking for the use including the need for 3 spaces being available within the industrial yard and near to the main gated entrance. This condition specifically stated:

"C2. The vehicle parking at the front and south of the building and the three parking spaces to the north of the building, as shown on the approved plan TB 6 date stamped received 28

April 2017, shall not be used other than for the parking of vehicles in connection with the use of the building hereby approved, and shall be kept free of obstruction for such use at all times.

Reason: In the interests of highway safety."

- 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 The Braddan Local Plan 1991 designates the site as within an area zoned for Predominantly Residential use. The draft area plan for the East also continues to designate the site as residential on Map 8. The land has a planning history supporting its established use as an agricultural supplies and industrial related business, being mindful of this and the current proposal it is perhaps most relevant in the assessment of the current application to use the general standards towards development set out in GP2 and the car parking standards set out in Appendix 7 of the Strategic Plan: - 4.2 General Policy 2:

"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;
• (h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;
• (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways."

4.4 Appendix 7 of the IOMSP set the following standards for the following uses:

Light industrial = 1 space per 30sq m; General industrial = 1 space per 50sq m; Storage and distribution = 1 space per 100sq m. There are no parking standards for agricultural use.

14.7m x 7.7m =113.19sq m @1space per 30sq m (lowest standard)= 3.77 spaces

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

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

5.1 Braddan Commissioners have no objections to the application (21/01/2020).

5.2 Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highway Services - Objection (15/01/2020)

• The proposed building appears to be located on an area where the car parking for the existing premises are located and it's not clear if the relocated car parking is for the existing or proposed use, minded that the application form states 10 existing spaces although it's not clear where these are. The car parking provision fails to meet the standards for a B2/B8 usage.

• 5..2.1 No new comments have been received from DOI since receipt and circulation of the additional information addressing their concerns.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The fundamental issues to consider in the assessment of this application are the principle of the development, whether there would be any visual or amenity impact on the neighbours or streetscape and if there is suitable and sufficient parking provision to accommodate both the proposed and existing buildings at the site.

6.2 The principle of the development

• 6.2.1 The site, whilst zoned in the Braddan Local Plan as predominantly residential, has an established industrial nature and features a large number of warehouses, sheds and associated equipment and structures, and the further addition of a relatively small industrial style building would therefore not be out of keeping with the established and general use of the site.

6.3 The impact on visual and residential amenity

• 6.3.1 The building proposed would be set back from the main road and within the cluster of building and within a site already used for industrial and commercial purposes where visual impact would be limited. There is an existing impact in terms of general noise and activity through machinery and vehicles entering and leaving the site and it is not expected that there will be any new activity above or beyond the existing use as to result in any significant increase of noise beyond that of the existing to harm the amenities of the neighbours.

6.4 Parking provision and highway safety

• 6.4.1 There was a lack of detail provided within the original submission as to fully understand the extent of the landownership and existing parking arrangements. While 4 parking spaces would be provided for the new building, the area of hardstanding on which it would sit appeared to reduce the parking area available or other units and one which had already been reduced somewhat through the introduction of the small timber office unit, and a further reduction to the hardstanding area potentially having an impact on highway safety through an increased demand for on-street parking adjacent to the site.

• 6.4.2 Concerns were expressed to the agent in respect of the potential negative nett change to the parking at the site. In response the applicant sought to provide a supporting statement and up-to-date site plans on which they clarified the red and blue lines for the site and land ownership, the access road markings and the parking for the site.
• 6.4.3 The supporting statement indicates that the applicant owns the majority of the area with exception to three units towards the back of the site. Recently the applicant has undertaken clearance and housekeeping works in trying to tidy the area and outline the extent of the access road and the boundaries of ownership as to lay-down and make clear who has control and use of what area.
• 6.4.4 The up-to-date parking plan and supporting statement make clear the area of 4 spaces nearest the existing office unit, 1 for the office and 3 for the children's nursery as per the parking condition of PA 17/00481/B, to the front of the proposed industrial building 5 parking spaces can be achieved, this parking arrangement within the red line of the site is both acceptable and sufficient enough to meet with the parking needs of the new building and without jeopardy to the office or the nursery use.
• 6.4.5 Outside of the red line, the industrial area comprises large hardstanding areas, including the units under separate ownership having approx. 5m to their frontages for personal use and parking. This fairly extensive area is considered to be sufficient enough as to meet the needs of the mixed use of the existing industrial and storage units without any new highway issues in the area. It's also likely that a continued onsite management by the applicant will be

• in their best interest for efficient use of their site and at the benefit of their customers renting units.
• 6.4.6 Following the submission of additional information clarifying the extent of the site and the land ownership and the existing and proposed parking and access arrangements it is considered that the development of the industrial unit at proposed would not result in any adverse or negative nett change to the parking at the site and is not expected to result in any new highway safety issues.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 Although contrary to the land use designation of the Braddan Local Plan, the site has a long established industrial use and the installation of the proposed building here would be inkeeping with this established use. The proposal is considered to have an acceptable visual impact, not to result in any new amenity impacts beyond the existing industrial use and while occupying an existing hardstanding area and DOI Highway Services are currently objecting to the application it has been considered that the new information submitted demonstrated that the unit is to be provided with a sufficient number of parking spaces, and its positioning not to result in any negative nett changes to parking provision for the wider industrial area within the site and no new highway safety or parking issues are to be expected and is therefore recommended for approval. - 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.

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:…02.03.2020

Signed :……L KINRADE………….. Presenting Officer

Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).

Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below

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