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16/00487/B
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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 16/00487/B Applicant : Dandara Commercial Limited Proposal : Extension and rearrangement of existing car park to create 14 additional parking spaces Site Address : Land Between Canada House and New Office Development Isle of Man Business Park Douglas Isle of Man
Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken : 16.05.2016 Site Visit : 16.05.2016 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is strip of land which abuts the recently approved and now occupied Canada Life office building and lies within the most recently approved site for a new corporate headquarters (PA 15/01366/B) within the Isle of Man Business Park. To the north is Vicarage Road, to the east are Dandara/Heritage Homes' headquarters and the new office building occupied by Canada Life and to the south west is open, undeveloped land which is also part of the Business Park. The land rises south to north by around 9m over 135m. Despite not being included in red as part of the site, the site is to become part of the Canada Life site.
1.2 The style of development in the area is mixed - modern stylish buildings to the north and south and smaller simpler forms further east including the Horse and Plough public house, the garage, nursery and offices. The development to the south is in a Business Park character, reflecting the requirements of the original planning approval.
1.3 The land in question is currently used partly for car parking by Canada Life with a landscaped strip planted with hedging shrubs between the parking spaces and the adjacent site.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the use of this land for additional car parking to serve the Canada Life development. A further 14 spaces will be provided with bicycle parking and the land around would continue to be grassed and planted in accordance with the approval granted under PA 15/01366/B although those plans show 7 trees immediately beside the building whereas the current plans only show 5 in faint print.
2.2 The proposal as originally laid out made provision for one space for every 14 sq m of nett floor space. What is now proposed increases this to one space for every 12 sq m nett of floorspace.
PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Braddan Local Plan of 1991 as "Master Plan to be prepared which will include areas of Industrial Use, Science Based Industries, High Density Residential Use, Landscaping and Secondary School of approximately 16 acres". This succeeded a planning application in principle for the development of a business park of 40 acres, which was approved on appeal under PA 89/04166. This required, inter alia that the business park comprise light industrial use, warehousing, development associated with new technology companies
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predominantly involved in scientific, commercial or industrial research and development or electronic systems, micro-engineering, biotechnology, office accommodation as the corporate headquarters of companies which utilise the new information technologies and service other park users but specifically excluding financial and professional services to visiting members of the public, including banks, building societies, estate agencies and betting offices. The approval also required that buildings should cover no more than 25% of the business park.
3.2 The Business Park has existing occupants including Royal London 360 mutual life insurance which sits on the corner of the Business Park and Cooil Road, Manx Telecom who have a corporate headquarters and operating centre, the MEA who have similar accommodation as well as Canada Life. There are also training facilities, vehicle repair and servicing, parcel distribution facilities within the park.
3.3 Business Parks are defined in the Strategic Plan as "development encompassing land for light industrial purposes, warehousing, new-technology companies involved in scientific, commercial, or industrial research or development and office accommodation as the corporate headquarters of companies having multiple and diverse interests (but excluding financial/professional services to visiting members of the public); buildings should be set in parkland which should dominate the landscape."
3.4 The Strategic Plan requires that business park uses are provided with car parking at a ratio of 1 space per 15 sq m nett of floorspace.
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 Planning permission was granted for the development of the business park as a whole under PAs 89/04166 and 90/04155. Subsequent to that, planning permission was granted for offices on the site under PA 99/02059 and 04/00790. The latter was approved subject to a condition which stated, "The proposed building may be used for office accommodation as the corporate headquarters of a single company which utilises the new information technologies and services other users of the Ballacottier Business Park (but specifically excluding users offering financial and professional services to visiting members of the public, such as banks, building societies, estate agencies, and betting offices).
4.2 Also of relevance is an application relating to the site which is now occupied by Dandara's headquarters, alongside the application site. This was the subject of an appeal which sought to remove part of the condition of use which related to the corporate headquarters of a company which utilises the new information and technologies and serves other users of the business park on the basis that this constrains the marketing and take up of the development opportunities. This was refused at appeal on the basis that the wording would prevent the loss of the vitality and viability of town centre commercial areas through the migration of offices to business park locations (PA 00/01996). As the owner of the remaining undeveloped part of the Business Park, it could be said that Dandara serves the Business Park and has indeed been responsible for the design and applications for the development of the Manx Telecom Headquarters and then now Royal London 360 headquarters buildings as well as other, smaller buildings to the east - Island House and Conister House.
4.3 The Canada Life building was approved under PA 13/91058/B and 14/01223/B with additional applications for its signage. The building alongside was approved under PA 15/01366/B and is under construction.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 ht indicate that they do not oppose the application (16.05.16).
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issue here is whether the creation of additional hard surfacing will adversely affect the appearance and character of the area. This must be weighed against the need to provide sufficient
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16/00487/B
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car parking on site to avoid the parking of vehicles on the estate road (unadopted) which could be detrimental to highway safety. It is interesting that despite a requirement to provide one space per 15 sq m of nett floorspace, the requirement here appears to be an increase in spaces being required to closer to one space in 12 sq m, obviously responding to an increase in real demand.
6.2 Due to the lack of available on street parking in the area, it is a material consideration that enough car parking should be provided to cater for those on the site and this must be balanced against the need also to provide a landscaped setting for the developments. Whilst the original design criteria required that buildings occupy no more than 25% of each site, with an expectation that a good deal of the remaining land would be set aside as landscaping, in practice which is happening more frequently is that the buildings are occupying less than 25% of the area of the site, but that the majority of the remaining space is being used as car parking. Some occupants are opting for a multi level car parking arrangement, to limit the area of land dedicated to car parking but this is more costly than using ground level space.
6.3 In this case there will be no loss of planting as compared with the original layout and as such the proposal is considered to be acceptable.
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: 31.05.2016
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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
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C 2. The additional spaces and cycle parking provided as a result of this approval must be available for users of the site edged blue, at all times.
Reason: To ensure that the development has adequate car parking in association with its use.
This approval relates to drawings 100 and 101 both received on 22nd April, 2016.
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: 03.06.2016
Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER
Chris Balmer
Senior Planning Officer
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