DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No.: 20/00338/B Applicant: Manx Utilities Authority Proposal: Creation of additional parking spaces and installation of electric vehicle charging stations Site Address: Police Headquarters And Premises Dukes Avenue Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4RG Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken: 05.05.2020 Site Visit: 05.05.2020 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.07.2020 _________________________________________________________________

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. The protection measures and construction methods detailed in the Tree Survey and Report submitted in support of the application shall be adhered to in full. No retained tree shall be cut down, uprooted, or wilfully destroyed during the development phase and thereafter within 5 years from the completion date, other than in accordance with the approved plans and particulars or as may be permitted by prior approval in writing from the Department. Reason: For the best interest of tree protection.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the submitted documents, location plan, site plan and photos datestamped as having been received on 19th March 2020 and the Tree Protection Plan datestamped as having been received on 1st July 2020.

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is the Police Headquarters and premises, Dukes Avenue, Douglas. The main structure is a three-storey office-style structure on a slope. Opposite the building across Dukes Avenue is a combination of parking spaces and grass verges.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks approval for extension to the existing car park to provide additional parking spaces and the installation of electric vehicle charging station.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 There were applications (01/02160/B; 13/91097/B) involving adding parking spaces on site. None of them is of material relevance to this application. - 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 In terms of local policy, the site lies within an area designated as Area of Buildings for Civic, cultural and Other Special Use (Police Headquarters) in the Douglas Local Plan 1998.

4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: - 4.3 General Policy 2 states: "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;

• (f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks;
• (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; (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."

- 5.0 REPRESENTATION

5.1 Douglas Borough Council has not commented at the time of the report (03/07/2020).

5.2 DoI Highway Services do not oppose this application (24/04/2020), subjecting to tree protection/ replacement trees for the installation of two new spaces, and the electric vehicle charging bays being 2.6m wide to better cater for alternative in car equipment. The comment

• also suggests that a condition being attached and development shall not be used until all areas shown on the approved plans to be used by vehicles circulation and vehicle parking spaces have been fully laid out, surfaced and drained with those for EV's to be of 2.6m width. It also stress that these areas shall not be used for any other purpose thereafter for the lifetime of the development in the interest of highway safety.
• 5.3 DEFA Forestry, Amenity, and Lands Directorate confirm that there is unlikely to be any direct damage to the trees. (17/04/2020). There are three good quality trees with a high amenity value most close to the development and there is a possibility of indirect damage by compaction. DEFA FALD recommended that a tree protection plan is submitted to minimised the possible damage. It also suggests that the plan should be enforced during the construction phase. The applicant submitted the plan (01/07/2020) and the Arboricultural Officer considers the plan would sufficiently protect the trees when fully implemented and recommended attaching condition to enforce the execution of the plan.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The main considerations for this application is its impact to the traffic, parking and the nearby trees.

6.2 The Highway services does not consider there to be negative impact to the traffic or parking so it is consider acceptable. The highway services also recommend that the electric vehicle charge bay to be 2.6m wide while the plan shows the two charge bays are 6m and therefore meet this requirement. - 6.3 The Aroboricultural Officer consider the tree protection plan effective so there is little impact on the trees near the development.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 For these reasons the proposal is considered to be appropriate in this location and comply with EP 1 & 2 of the IOM Strategic Plan and the application is therefore recommended for an approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (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 above 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: 03.07.2020 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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