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20/00159/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 20/00159/B Applicant : Andrew And Kate Mulhern Proposal : Alterations including replacement roof, windows, doors and new boiler flue, together with additional use as tourist accommodation. Site Address : 2 Bank Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1AT
Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken : 24.03.2020 Site Visit : 24.03.2020 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.04.2020 __
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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
C 2. All glazing bars on the proposed replacement windows must appear on the external face of the glass and not be internal strips.
Reason: to ensure that the replacement windows preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area in accordance with Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan, Planning Circular 1/98 and policy CA/2 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The development preserves the character and appearance of the Conservation Area in accordance with Environment Policy 35 and General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and policy CA/2 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and whilst the frame material of the proposed replacement windows does not accord with Environment Policy 34 it does comply with the provisions of Planning Circular 1/98.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the drawings and information received on 13th February, 2020.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of an existing dwelling situated on the south eastern side of Bank Street. The property sits in the middle of a terrace of traditional properties, most of which are modest, traditional Manx cottages with a variation in height across the row - number 2 is higher than number 4 and number 16, Malew Street is higher than the application property.
1.2 The application property has the proportions and form of a traditional cottage with five sliding sash, Georgian pane windows in the front elevation arranged around a central ground floor front door and a similar arrangement at the rear.
1.3 The property has a flue which currently discharges horizontally from the side of the existing gable which sits higher than the ridge of number 4. Number 4 has a flue which sits just above the application property flue and projects vertically from its rear roof plane at a height above the ridge of that property but not as high as the chimney of number 2.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is a series of work including:
the installation of replacement of all the existing windows with uPVC framed Georgian pane sliding sashes to match those in number 16 the replacement of the roof finish with natural slates to match number 16 the installation of a flue to serve a wood burning stove replacement of the front and rear doors.
2.2 The existing front door is a solid lower half with nine glazed lights in the upper half. The rear door is similar. The proposed doors with be a solid timber door in the front with a small light in the upper half and a similar door to the existing in the rear.
2.3 The flue will emerge vertically from the gable of the property approximately half way up the rear gable roof edge and will extend 550mm up from the roof plane and 1m from the ridge and stack.
PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South (2013) as Mixed Use (where residential is an acceptable type of land use) and within the town's Conservation Area. As such, the provisions of General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan are applicable:
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".
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3.2 The Department approved a document which provides advice on domestic development in 2019. The Residential Design Guidance also provides advice on changes to windows, advising that:
"5.2 WINDOWS AND DOORS 5.2.1 The majority of traditional properties (i.e. Manx farmhouses & Victoria terraces etc.) on the Isle of Man have vertically proportioned windows. A general exception to this is more modern properties (i.e. 1960/70s) which have more horizontally proportioned windows (i.e. picture windows).
5.2.2 The proportions and style of proposed windows should be identified and included within the design process. For new dwellings, windows should be sympathetic to those in neighbouring properties. For extensions, windows should be sympathetic to, and reflect the style of openings in, the original part of the building.
5.2.7 Where doors or windows are not the originals or are of an inappropriate style, any new doors or windows should generally match the original door style, design and size. This can generally be ascertained by neighbouring properties that may still have their original doors in place. Furthermore, applicants are encouraged to reinstall windows and/or doors that reflect the original style/design. Where the original door surround detail exists, this should be retained where possible."
3.3 Advice is also provided in respect of flues as follows:
"5.1.3 In recent years the Department has seen a number of planning application for flues serving wood burning stoves, and is broadly supportive of these. Consideration should be given to their placement, height, size and finish, as the main issue is likely to be the visual appearance of them and whether they would fit with the existing property and the street scene as a whole. Tall and/or prominent flues which have a detrimental impact to a property and/or street scene are unlikely to be supported. Where a flue may have an unacceptable detrimental impact, it may be possible to mitigate the impact by:
o colouring the flue to blend in with the existing colour of the wall the flue may adjoin (or a dark colour when the flue sits within a roof); o encasing the flue so that it appears as a chimney; or o incorporating the flue within the existing or new chimney stacks.
5.1.4 Before making any planning application, it is often helpful to discuss the required positioning and size of the flue required with the relevant Building Control Authority as Flues also require Building Control Consent (separate from planning approval). Details of flue sizing and positioning of the flue and installation of CO2 and heat alarms within the dwelling are all identified within the Building Regulations (Approved Document J."
3.4 Environment Policy 35 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 both encourage the preservation or enhancement of the CA in the determination of planning applications and having regard to the special character of a CA. EP34 encourages the use of traditional materials (usually timber) in the extension, maintenance or alteration of pre 1920 buildings.
3.4 Planning Circular 1/98 provides advice on the replacement of windows in a Conservation Area as follows:
"If the original windows are in place they should preferably be repaired. If repair is impracticable, replacement windows which would be readily visible from a public thoroughfare MUST HAVE THE SAME method of opening as the originals. Whatever the material used in their
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construction, the windows MUST HAVE THE SAME pattern and section of glazing bars and the same frame sections as the original windows.
Windows not readily visible from a public thoroughfare must have the same or similar pattern of glazing bars as the originals, but not necessarily the original method of opening, whatever the material used in the construction."
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The house has previously been the subject of applications for various alterations but none of these applications is relevant to the current proposal.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Castletown Commissioners have not commented.
5.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services have no highway interest in the application (28.02.29).
5.3 Discussion has been held with the Building Control Officer who is dealing with this area and he has confirmed that the 550mm flue is acceptable.
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issues in this case are whether the proposal would have any adverse impact on the streetscene, having regard to the status of the site within a Conservation Area where there is a presumption in favour of preserving or enhancing.
6.2 The windows would match what currently exists within the property and what are in the property alongside and as such the proposal will preserve the character of the CA. Whilst the frame materials differ from the existing, and noting that EP34 encourages the use of traditional materials, which this would not use Planning Committee 1/98 makes it clear that the opening style is more important than the frame material. The application states that the glazing bars will be internal to match the existing: the existing are external as are those in the adjacent property which is referred to by the applicant. A condition is recommended which clarifies that the glazing bars will be fitted externally. The applicants were written to to seek clarification of this on 23.03.20 but no response has been received at the time of writing.
6.3 The flue will again sit at the rear of the property but will rise vertically not dissimilar to the existing flue serving number 4. As shown, the flue is a little below the ridge level of the property which was of concern to the Building Control Officer. The flue will be visible from The Quay but seen amid a range of other flues - one immediately alongside and much of the flue will have the backdrop of the chimney and rear roof slope of the application property to reduce its impact.
6.4 A recent decision for the installation of a flue in Close Cowley revealed that flues can sometimes have an adverse impact on the appearance of the area as well as the living conditions of those in adjacent property. In this case the flue was very close to an adjacent property's window and quite visible from a public perspective. The current application in Castletown is quite different and will not have the same adverse impact, the flue being significantly higher than any windows and much further from a public viewpoint.
CONCLUSION 7.1 The development is considered to preserve the character and appearance of the CA and satisfies EP35 and GP2.
INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
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(a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
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 can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 03.04.2020
Determining officer Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
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