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                                      20/00788/B                                     Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 20/00788/B Applicant : Mr Dan Jespersen Proposal : The addition of two columns to support first floor balcony and changes to previously approved balustrading Site Address : Waverley Spaldrick Port Erin Isle Of Man IM9 6PD

Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken : 18.08.2020 Site Visit : 18.08.2020 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 01.09.2020 __

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.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The development is considered to accord with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan and the provisions of Planning Policy Statement 1/01.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to drawing 2004/PL1003 received on 21st July, 2020. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE SITE

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1.1 The site is the curtilage of a three storey property located on the eastern side of Spaldrick Promenade. It is situated at the end of a terrace of four properties and to the south, across a gap of 2m are two semi-detached, two storey dwellings - 1 and 2, Spaldrick Promenade.

1.2 The application property, like that at the other end of the terrace, has a pitched, slated roof above the second floor projecting angled bay, and the bay to the left, like the two bays in between, has a flat roof with decorative castellations. The ground floors of the properties are all higher than the roadway, with steps leading up to each front door. The application property is the only one in the terrace having decorative balustrading above the roadside rendered boundary wall. The property has a three storey rear projecting outlet which steps down to one and a half storey height across the southern half of around half of the remainder of the rear yard.

1.3 The property still has its original sliding sash windows throughout: numbers 1 and 2 have modern sliding sash windows and number 3 has a mix of modern single light windows and casements subdivided centrally.

1.4 The last use of the property was as a guest house with 15 letting rooms over four floors. There is a substantial metal fire escape on the gable and a flat roofed dormer above the projecting flat roofed bay. The property has a neglected appearance, unpainted rear and side walls, the front door and windows having the paint peeling from the timberworks, the name of the property partly missing and frayed curtains in the windows.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the erection of two columns to support a previously approved unsupported balcony and the outer edge of the balcony is to be finished in concrete detailing not glass, the pedestals and handrail being around 650mm high with a reinforced glass panel behind extending up to 1.1m above ground level on the balcony. A curved element to the underside of the balcony which can be found on the less prominent porches on the adjacent buildings to the north of the site.

PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area of Residential use on the Area Plan for the South. The sit lies within the proposed Conservation Area for Port Erin. The proposed CA specifically includes this terrace, excluding the pair of semi-detached properties alongside and all of the other properties to the rear and north.

3.2 The Strategic Plan requires development in Conservation Areas to preserve or enhance the appearance and character of the Area. Planning Circular 1/98 encourages original windows to be replicated where they cannot be repaired.

3.3 The draft Conservation Area Appraisal document refers to the application site as follows:

"Early settlement This character area comprises three separate areas: o The original Port Erin Village (incorporating Dandy Hill, the cottages on Shore Road and the buildings in the block between Strand Road and Station Road including the Falcon's Nest Hotel) o The remaining buildings of the Darrag hamlet (Shen Valley, Yn Darrag and Myrtle Cottage) o The remaining buildings of the Strooansnail hamlet (Primrose House and Primrose Cottage) and o The group of houses at the north of promenade near the entrance to Bradda Glen. These areas contain the oldest buildings in the Port Erin conservation area, the majority of which pre- date 1869, but may be even older."

No other reference is made to the terrace.

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3.4 Strategic Plan General Policy 2 is also applicable as follows:

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 and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."

PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 Planning approval was granted for the replacement of the existing garage across the rear lane, associated with this property, under 17/01334/B. The other properties in the terrace have been the subject of applications for the replacement of windows. Between 2007 and up until the designation in the Area Plan of 2013 of the terrace as a Conservation Area, planning approval would not have been required for the replacement of the windows under the terms of the Permitted Development Order at that time.

4.2 Most recently permission was granted for the conversion of the property to a single dwelling including the balcony. The applicant then submitted an application for a Minor Change to propose the balcony with supports which is now being proposed. This, 20/00593/MCH was refused for the following reason:

"Approval is sought to add two columns to the balcony and to have a stone balustrade rather than modern SS and glass balustrading. These would be in a prominent position on the front elevation of the building. The value of the row of properties is in part due to the matching details. The previous approval alters this in relation to the glass balcony. The proposed stone balcony arguably blends in more, and so is a potentially reduced impact. The introduction of pillars is an additional and potentially negative impact. Overall it may be that the net impact of the proposal on the streetscene (and proposed Conservation Area) is reduced, however this would be a balanced judgement and certainly the impact on the area would be materially different. On balance it is therefore considered that given the nature/level of change, it should be assessed by way of full planning application."

REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Port Erin Commissioners support the application (12.08.20).

5.2 Highway Services have no highway interest in the application (04.08.20).

5.3 The Registered Buildings Officer has been consulted and made the following comments:

"As the principle of the balcony has been established as part of the original application, I do not think the proposed changes in terms of the balustrade and columns will have a greater impact upon the proposed conservation area, than the previously approved design. The proposals are to some extent a slight improvement, as they are more traditional in appearance."

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The works alter the appearance of the property, as would have the approved scheme and what is now proposed is more substantial but arguably more sympathetic to the character and appearance of the building. There could be a potential issue with the impairment of outlook for those in the property immediately to the north of the site - apartments 3, 8 and 13, Carlton Apartments, the nearest windows are angled rather than look directly towards the new projecting balcony and pillars and are 7m away, separated by the applicant's northern angled

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bay window and the neighbours' front door and project only 800mm from the front of the existing property such that the pillars and balcony will not impinge upon the principal outlook from the nearest projecting windows in the adjacent apartments.

CONCLUSION 7.1 The works are considered to largely preserve the character of the property, reinjecting investment in a property of acknowledged interest and satisfy the requirements of the conservation policies as well as General Policy 2 and the application is supported. The works have already commenced so the standard commencement condition is not appropriate.

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 in Article 4(2) 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: 08.09.2020

Determining officer Signed : C BALMER

Chris Balmer

Principal Planner

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