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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 Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.04.2020 _________________________________________________________________
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
3.2 The Department approved a document which provides advice on domestic development in
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:
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
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."
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.
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:
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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