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15/01360/B
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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 15/01360/B Applicant : St Johns Football Club Proposal : Erection of a detached implement store to replace existing container units Site Address : St Johns Football Club Mullen E Cloie Foxdale Road St Johns Isle of Man IM4 3AR
Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken : 07.01.2016 Site Visit : 07.01.2016 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is the grounds of St. John's Football Club, located on the eastern side of Station Road between the sawmills and Patrick Road. The site accommodates playing fields and a clubhouse which sits close to the road and a small storage container situated at the northern edge of the site. A sheltered housing complex, small telephone exchange and sewage pumping station lies to the north and a cricket ground lies to the south.
1.2 There is a line of trees between the pump station, sheltered housing and the football grounds of varying types, mostly growing within the bank.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a building to replace the storage structure. This will be larger than the existing - 12m by 9m finished in olive green coloured sheeting.
2.2 In order to facilitate this, existing trees along the northern boundary of the site will be lopped and a tree to the west removed.
2.3 The building is required to accommodate the grass mower and other equipment needed to maintain the site.
PLANNING STATUS 3.1 The site is identified on the St. John's Local Plan of 1999 as Recreation.
3.2 The Strategic Plan introduces the protection of trees in Environment Policy 3 - "Development will not be permitted where it would result in the unacceptable loss of or damage to woodland areas, especially ancient, natural and semi-natural woodlands, which have public amenity or conservation value."
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The site has been the subject of previous applications for new facilities and other supporting infrastructure, none of which is relevant to the consideration of the current proposal.
REPRESENTATIONS
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15/01360/B
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5.1 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services indicate that there are no highway implications (22.12.15).
5.2 DEFA Forestry would not object to the loss of the cherry tree nor the pruning of the lower parts of the trees close by but would encourage the pruning to be as little as possible (05.12.15). Following discussions it would appear that this pruning would not require any licence from DEFA so the work could be done anyway.
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issues in this case are the impact of the loss of the cherry tree and lopping of other nearby trees to accommodate the new structure and whether the new building would have any adverse impact on public amenity or the living conditions of those in nearby residential property. The existing storage containers, albeit unauthorised, are not attractive but are not particularly visible.
6.2 Whilst the proposed building could be relocated slightly, in some ways, the close it is to the trees the better, to reduce visual impact. The applicant has explained that the removal of the cherry tree will enable the building to be positioned closer to the telephone exchange building and the building will be sited on the footprint of the existing buildings with no further disturbance to the rest of the football grounds and right opposite the double gates which give access to the playing fields for tractors and maintenance equipment. They also confirm that pruning will be kept to a minimum and carried out in a responsible and sensitive manner in accordance with advice from DEFA Forestry Division.
6.3 Such alterations to the trees to be retained could take place anyway without the need for planning approval or permission from DEFA and as such, the re-siting of the building further from the trees is not considered necessary, given the repercussions for access for the vehicles and equipment to be kept inside.
PARTY STATUS 7.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested; (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material, in this case Department of Infrastructure Highway Services and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.
With effect from 1 June 2015, the Transfer of Planning & Building Control Functions Order 2015 amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 to give effect to the meaning of the word 'Department' to be the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture unless otherwise directed by that Order.
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 18.01.2016
Conditions and Notes for Approval: C : Conditions for approval
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15/01360/B
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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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
This decision relates to drawings 01 and 02 both received on 16th December 2015.
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Senior Planning Officer in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 18.01.2016
Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER
Chris Balmer
Senior Planning Officer
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