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15/00672/CON Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 15/00672/CON Applicant : Heron & Brearley Proposal : Registered Building Consent for the installation of railings to front elevation (RB no 186 in association with 15/00671/GB) Site Address : Former Douglas Hotel North Quay Douglas Isle Of Man
Case Officer : Miss Abigail Morgan Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE
1.1 The application site is the Former Douglas Hotel located on the North Quay, Douglas, which is located in the North Quay Conservation Area. To the east of the site is the Clarendon Hotel which has recently become restaurant (The Clarendon now also Barbary Coast) with an outside seating area. To the rear of the application site is a public car park. To the west of the site is a single storey building used by the Royal British Legion.
1.2 The Douglas Hotel is a substantial, four-storey, five-bay former public house, which was originally built in 1758 and is a Registered Building (RB 186). 2.0 THE PROPOSAL
2.1 Full planning approval and registered building consent is sought for the extension of iron railings to the front elevation. The original submission was considered to have a harmful effect on the Douglas Hotel and the Conservation Area as their design and materials did not taken into account design requirements of the buildings era or appropriate railing dimensions.
2.2 Following some extensive negotiations with and decisions on behalf of the applicant amended drawings were submitted, retaining the existing and replicating those along the front elevation for the extended part.
2.3 The proposals sees the extension of the railings and the plinth, to match the existing to the entire frontage of the building. The plinth is apx 100mm high and the railings are 860mm high (from ground level) , design to match the existing.
2.4 The reason for the proposal is to maintain a separation between the establishment next door (Barbary Coast) and the current office use at the Douglas Hotel.
2.5 This application is accompanied by planning application 16/00671/GB.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY
3.1 The site has been the subject of a number of redevelopment proposals over recent years, the most recent of which were implemented (11/01383/GB and 11/01384/CON).
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3.2 More recently at The Clarendon (15/00610/B), Planning Approval was issued for the creation of an outdoor seating area, with associated paraphernalia.
4.0 PLANNING POLICIES
4.1 The application site is located within an area of "Predominantly Shopping" it's identified as Registered Building (RB 186) and within a Conservation Area on the Douglas Central Local Plan, 1998.
4.2 As the property is located within the North Quay Conservation Area designated in 1990, the relevant planning policies from the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 are Strategic Policy 4, Environmental Policies 32 and 35 and Policies RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS and CA/2 SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS of Conservation Areas of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man) are also considered to be relevant to determining this application.
4.3 Strategic Policy 4 states: "Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings, Conservation Areas, buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas, and sites of archaeological interest; (b) protect or enhance the landscape quality and nature conservation value of urban as well as rural areas but especially in respect to development adjacent to Areas of Special Scientific Interest and other designations; and (c) not cause or lead unacceptable environmental pollution or disturbance."
4.4 Environment Policy 32 states: "Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted."
4.5 Environment Policy 35 states: "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."
4.6 RB/5: Alterations and Extensions states: "In considering whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting and in considering whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses. "Registered Building consent is required for the building's alteration in any way which would affect its special architectural or historic character. There will be a general presumption against alteration or extension of registered buildings, except where a convincing case can be made, against the criteria set out in this section, for such proposals. "Applicants for registered building consent for alteration or extension to a registered building must be able to justify their proposals. They will be required to show why the works which would affect the character of the registered building are desirable or necessary and they should provide full information to enable the Department to assess the likely impact of their proposals on the special architectural or historic interest of the building and on its setting. Where registered buildings are the subject of successive applications for alteration or extension, consideration will also be given to the cumulative effect upon the building's special interest as a result of several minor works which may individually seem of little consequence."
4.7 Policy CA/2 - Special Planning Considerations states: "When considering proposals for the possible development of any land or buildings which fall within the conservation area, the impact of such proposals upon the special character of the area, will be a material consideration when assessing the application.
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"Where a development is proposed for land which, although not within the boundaries of the conservation area, would affect its context or setting, or views into or out of the area; such issues should be given special consideration where the character or appearance of a conservation area may be affected."
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS
5.1 15/00671/GB - DOI Highway Services did not oppose the original proposal, comments dated 30.06.2015. No further comments were received on the amended plans.
5.2 No representations were received on this application, 15/00672/CON.
6.0 ASSESSMENT
6.1 The proposal involves an important external alteration. The Douglas Hotel is registered for its special architectural and historic interest. The key assessment point is whether or not the proposed extension to the railings would preserve or enhance the Conservation Area in which they sit, and whether or not the external alterations would have a harmful effect on the Registered Building.
6.2 The functional purpose of railings was to mark property boundaries and provide security, and to prevent people from falling into the basement light well - a common feature of Georgina and Victorian buildings. Therefore railings at the Douglas Hotel would not appear out of place on a building of this era and can provide a traditional and attractive form of boundary enclosure. This application is to extend the existing railings to the full width of the building following the style of those already in place.
6.3 The works are considered to respect the character of the Registered Building and not detrimentally affect its setting and would satisfactorily preserve the character of the Conservation Area.
6.4 Therefore it is considered that the proposal complies with the relevant planning policies from the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 which are Strategic Policy 4, General Policy 2, Environment Policies 32 and 34 and Policies RB/3 and RB/5 Special Planning Considerations from Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man) and windows policy 1/98.
6.5 The proposal would raise no adverse impacts on adjacent neighbours and land-uses.
7.0 RECOMMENDATION
7.1 On the basis of the above both applications are recommended for approved.
8.0 PARTY STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013, the following 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; (c) Manx National Heritage; and (d) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated
8.2 In addition to those above, the Regulation 9(3) requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated
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as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application.
8.3 In this instance, it is recommended that the following persons have sufficient interest and should be awarded the status of an Interested Person - None
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 29.03.2016
Conditions and Notes for Approval: C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.
Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.
This approval relates to Drawing 1421-DC-102-A date stamped as received 16 June 2015, Drawings 1421-DC-100-A and 202-C both date stamped as received 8 January 2016 and Planning and Design Statement v 2 date stamped as received 20 January 2016.
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 : 30.03.2016
Determining officer
Signed : J CHANCE
Jennifer Chance
Head of Development Management
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