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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 20/01166/B Applicant : The Vicar & Wardens Of St. Germans's Cathedral Proposal : Additional use of the hall as a tea room (class 1.3), alterations and erection of porch extension, canopy entrance, and installation of rooflights Site Address : Corrin Hall Derby Road Peel Isle Of Man IM5 1NH

Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 17.11.2020 __

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 proposal is considered to accord with Environment Policy 35, Transport Policy 7 and Community Policy 2 and the Planning Policy Statement 1/01.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to drawings 20/0804A/01, 20/0804A/02, 20/0804A/03, 20/0804A/04, 20/0804A/05, 20/0804A/ 06 received on 7th October, 2020. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE SITE 1.1 The site is the curtilage of an existing building - the Corrin Hall - which sits on the southern side of Derby Road with Peel Cathedral sitting immediately to the rear (south). The hall

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effectively sits within the curtilage of the cathedral. The two properties share a car park which is to the south east of the hall.

1.2 The hall is finished in brick and rough render with render bands running horizontally across the gables of the property and stone quoins on each corner under a slate roof.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is a series of alterations to the building and its additional use as a tea room.

2.2 The alterations include the insertion of a row of Conservation style rooflights in the west and eastern elevations, the replacement of an existing porch on the southern elevation with a slightly larger one, the enlargement of an existing window on the southern elevation into a door and the erection of an extension on the eastern elevation to create an open entrance canopy finished to match the existing building.

2.3 The tea room will be sited in the south western part of the building, leaving the song school and a second function room unchanged. The tea room would have an associated kitchen and there are existing toilets alongside. It would accommodate around nine tables and approximately 46 customers. A first floor area will be created initially for storage in association with the overall site, and the kitchen and toilets upgraded.

2.4 The applicant explains that the building is currently used for church and community related activities but has struggled to meet its full potential due to poor facilities (kitchen and toilets) and inadequate heating. It provides limited catering facilities including a drop in meal service but the kitchen is not suitable for larger events.

2.5 A number of projects are on-going at the site, including the cathedral which remains the central element of the vision for the site to offer a modern, multi purpose religious and community space - play groups, societies, performing arts, social music and exhibitions.

2.6 The proposal intends to make the hall for economically sustainable and to provide a more cost effective solution to essential upgrading of its facilities. The car park is infrequently used during the day and the site is well served by public transport.

PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Peel Local Plan of 1989 as part of the Church grounds (Civic, Cultural or Other Use). The site also lies within the town Conservation Area.

3.2 As such, the following parts of the Strategic Plan are relevant:

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; (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan."

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3.3 Community Policy 2: New community facilities should be located to serve the local population and be accessible to non-car users, and should where possible re-use existing vacant or underused buildings.

3.4 Transport Policy 7 requires development to be provided with the appropriate amount of car parking.

3.5 Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and Environment Policy 35

PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The site has been the subject of many applications including the creation of a lych gate, cloister extension to the cathedral and formerly, under 10/01814/B proposed a more substantial redevelopment of the hall. A comprehensive landscaping scheme has been approved and partly implemented and the car park created.

REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Highway Services do not object, noting that the car parking demand is substantially less than requirements for leisure and assembly (the current use) and car based travel is likely to be further reduced due to the accessibility of the site. Loading and unloading facilities are retained. They recommend that bicycle parking should be provided nearby (23.10.20).

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The building is currently a Class 4.3 Use (Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 2019 which is

Class 4.3 - Other community facilities Use for the purpose of - (a) the assembly of persons for a social or community event, or for religious worship; (b) the display of works of art (other than for sale or hire); (c) a museum; or (d) a library.

6.2 What is proposed is this continued use with Class 1.3 - Food and drink Use for the purpose of selling food or drink for consumption on the premises (including restaurants, cafés, public houses, wine bars or other such establishments).

6.3 The Strategic Plan does not have a parking standard for Class 4.3 but suggests that for Assembly and Leisure (which is a different Use Class but perhaps closest to the proposed use than any other) a parking ratio of one space per 15 sq m of gross floorspace should be provided. Town centre shops (which is the nearest to food and drink) should have space for service vehicle use. As such, the parking requirement for a tea shop is less than that for the community use so there should be no adverse impact on car parking. In any case, there is a car park right next door which is not overly used when the tea shop is to be used. There are currently no constraints on hours of operation (there are evening meetings currently held here).

6.4 The proposed changes to the building are less significant than those approved in 2010 and do not significantly or adversely change the character or appearance of the building. It is relevant that the surrounding site has changed and continues to alter in the range of developments that are being undertaken and planned for the cathedral and its grounds. The general intention is that the space becomes more community based and the proposed use and alterations which make it easier for people within the grounds to enter the hall, will complement this.

6.5 The proposed tea room will provide facilities for many who will be visiting the site anyway to see the cathedral or its gardens or both, and its sustainable location will enable people to visit on foot. The DoI's suggestion about providing bicycling parking facilities should be referred to in a note in the decision notice.

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CONCLUSION 7.1 The proposal is considered to accord with Environment Policy 35, Transport Policy 7 and Community Policy 2 and the Planning Policy Statement 1/01.

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 the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 18.11.2020

Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER

Stephen Butler

Head of Development Management

Customer note

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