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16/01411/C
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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 16/01411/C Applicant : Mr Kenneth Oakes Proposal : Change of use from tourist to residential accommodation Site Address : 107 Viking Apartments St Pauls Square Ramsey Isle of Man IM8 1LE
Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is an existing apartment situated on the first floor above St. Paul's Square shopping precinct in the centre of town. To the rear of the complex is King's Court and in front is a public car park one space within which is allocated to the apartment. The apartment provides around 38 sq m of floor area and has a kitchen, bathroom and shared living and sleeping area.
1.2 Access is from the car park side of the building up a flight of internal stairs.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the change of use of the unit from tourist occupation to permanent residential. No changes to the building are involved.
PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated as Predominantly Residential in the Ramsey Local Plan of 1998. R/T/P1 states that where feasible the retention of existing tourist accommodation facilities is preferred. The apartments in the vicinity of the application site are not specifically referred to in the Written Statement.
3.2 The Strategic Plan contains policies on the creation of new tourist accommodation but not on the loss of existing.
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 Planning approval was granted for the change of use of unit 103 to residential accommodation under 16/00990/C and numbers 110 and 111 under 07/01626/C and numbers 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109 and 112 under 08/02230/C.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Department of Economic Development Tourism Division was contacted to see if they were concerned at the loss of the tourist unit and they indicated that they were not (05.01.17).
5.2 Ramsey Town Commissioners indicate that they do not object to the application (23.01.17).
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issue in this case is whether there would be any significant impact from the use of the apartment as a permanent residential home compared with its use as a tourist unit. It is often relevant in such an assessment to consider what the nearest adjacent units are used for and it is
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16/01411/C
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clear from the planning history that many, including this unit, have either been converted to residential use or were considered at the time to be suitable for such use.
6.2 If used as a permanent residential unit, the longer periods of occupancy are likely to result in relationships being built between neighbours as well as a shared sense of ownership of public areas and the building more generally.
6.3 The application is considered compatible with decisions taken on units alongside and as such is recommended for approval.
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 (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.
Department of Economic Development Tourism Division did not submit comments directly and as such should not be afforded interested person status under the Order.
Similarly, the Environmental Health Division of DEFA did not submit comments directly and in any case are part of the same Department as is the planning authority and as such should not be afforded interested person status.
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: 30.01.2017
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.
This decision relates to the floor plans and location plan all received on 20th December, 2016.
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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: 10.02.2017
Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER
Chris Balmer
Senior Planning Officer
Customer note
This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.
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