Planning Officer Report

Planning Officer Report And Recommendations {{table:15558}} {{table:15557}}

Officer's Report

The Application Site

1. The application site is the residential curtilage of 31 Castlemona Avenue. The property is a two storey terraced property with floor space in the roof, which was built before 1921 in a traditional Victorian style. The streetscene is characterised by similar and taller buildings which have largely retained the detailing of the mouldings and dentilled cornicing and the pattern of windows but many have had plastic casement windows installed and some flat roofed dormers on the front roof pitch, which are visible in the streetscene.

1. The front elevation has a ground floor bay window, two first floor windows and a dormer window protrudes from the pitched roof. The roof itself is made from Manx grey slate, whilst the front elevation is rendered and painted a light cream colour. The front elevation windows are timber framed, but appear to be of different ages as the colour and condition of the wood look different, however, they are all top-hung outward-opening casements.

The Proposal

1. The proposal consist of the installation of white UPVC windows to replace all existing brown timber-framed windows on front elevation of property. All windows have top-hung outward-opening casements.

Planning History

1. The application site has not been the subject of any previous planning applications that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.

Planning Policy

1. The application site is designated for predominantly residential use in the Douglas (South) Local Plan 1998. There are no policies accompanying the designation, which are considered specifically material to the assessment of the planning application.

1. The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 contains one policy that is considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application. 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;
• (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality".

1. Planning Circular 1/98 'The alteration and replacement of windows' policy for buildings built before 1921, but does not fall into a Conservation Area or is a Registered Building, and largely retains its original features states:

"In an individual building, or group of buildings, whose principal elevations are readily visible from a public thoroughfare, if the original windows are in place, it may be possible to repair and renovate them. This can take place without permission, and will be encouraged by the Department. If repair is impracticable, or existing windows are not the originals, the preference will be for replacement windows in the said principal elevations to have the same method of opening as the originals. Whatever the material used in their construction, the windows MUST HAVE the same or similar pattern and section of glazing bars and the same or similar frame sections as the original windows.

Windows not part of the principal elevations and which are not readily visible from a public thoroughfare should preferably have the same or similar pattern of glazing bars as the originals, but not necessarily the original method of opening, whatever the material used in their construction."

Representations

1. Douglas Borough Council submitted a response to the original proposal for the installation of a single window on 06 January 2012 declaring no objection to the proposal. Subsequently, no response has been received from Douglas Borough Council regarding the amended proposal and therefore it is assumed they have not altered their stance on the application.

Assessment

1. The proposal will alter the appearance of the front elevation of the property as the material and colour of the window frames will be a different to the existing, however, the opening-method of all proposed windows will be the same as the existing. The proposed windows will also enable the appearance of the property to be more in-keeping to the existing street-scene. As such, the proposal is not considered to adversely affect the existing character of the building or neighbouring properties within the local street-scene, and as a result not adversely impact on public visual amenity.
2. Overall, the proposal is considered to comply with points b, c, and g of General Policy 2 in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 and the policy for Category C windows in Planning Circular 1/98 and is therefore considered acceptable.

Recommendation

1. It is recommended that the planning application be approved.

Party Status

1. It is considered that the following parties that made representations to the planning application should be afforded interested party status:

The local authority, Douglas Borough Council are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 15.02.2012

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C: Conditions for approval N: Notes attached to conditions R: Reasons for refusal O: Notes attached to refusals

C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

C 2. This approval relates to the installation of replacement windows to the front elevation of the property known as 31 Castlemona Avenue, Douglas, shown in the drawings received on 20 January 2012, and the Sie Plan received on 19 December 2011.

I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control / Development Control Manager/ Senior Planning Officer.

Decision Made: Permitted Date: 17-2-12

Determining officer (delete as appropriate)

Signed: [Handwritten Signature] Anthony Holmes Senior Planning Officer

Signed: Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control

Signed: Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer

Signed: Jennifer Chance Development Control Manager