Officer Report

Application No.: 17/00572/CON Applicant: Heron And Brearley Ltd Proposal: Registered Building consent for alterations, creation of two hotel bedrooms, relocation of existing kitchen, doorway / access alterations and installation of sun tubes and new windows within resized existing openings (in association with 17/00571/GB) Registered Building Nos. 38 Site Address: The George Hotel The Parade Castletown Isle of Man IM9 1LG Case Officer : Mr S Moore Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site defined in red represents part of the curtilage of the George Hotel (Registered Building RB38) which sits between The Parade and Farrant's Way and alongside a public lane which links the two. - 1.2 The site accommodates the public house which sits on the Parade frontage and a rear yard which is used as a car park all within the Castletown Conservation Area

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed here is a Registered Building Consent application for alterations, creation of two hotel bedrooms, relocation of existing kitchen, doorway / access alterations and installation of sun tubes and new windows within resized existing openings (in association with 17/00571/GB).

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The following applications are considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application:

(04/02096/GB) - Installation of microcell panel antenna in front elevation (04/02097/CON) Application Permitted.

04/1406 Installation of one microcell panel antenna to front elevation - Application Refused 00/1674 Alterations to existing public house - Application Permitted 99/1833 Approval in principle for conversion and extension to offices/public house - Application Refused 92/0157 Provision of advertising signage - Application Refused 91/1939 Alterations to premises - Application Permitted 91/0487 Provision of en-suite accommodation - Application Permitted

90/1232 Alteration to rear car park entrance - Application Permitted 86/0698 Erection of advertising canopy - Application Refused

4.0 DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES - 4.1 The site lies within an area annotated as 'Mixed Use' on the Area Plan for the South Map 5 Castletown. The site also lies within Castletown Conservation Area designated in 1990 and the building is Registered (RB 38). As the building is both Registered and located within a Conservation Area, it is appropriate to consider Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policies 32, 34 and 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (20th June 2007) and Policies RB/5 and CA/2 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) is also considered to be relevant to determining this application. Strategic Policy 4 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 to unacceptable environmental pollution or disturbance. 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."

• Environment Policy 34 states:

"In the maintenance, alteration or extension of pre-1920 buildings, the use of traditional materials will be preferred."

• 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."

RB/5: Alterations and Extensions:

"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 affect upon the building's special interest as a result of several minor works which may individually seem of little consequence."

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.

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. Castletown Commissioners 'recommend that the application be approved'.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The application seeks Registered Building consent for alterations including the creation of two hotel bedrooms, the relocation of the existing first floor kitchen to the rear of the Ground Floor Function Room with new doorway / access alterations formed and the installation of sun tubes and new windows within resized existing openings at first floor to the former kitchen, here proposed the two hotel rooms (in association with 17/00571/GB). - 6.2 As the proposed works are to a Registered Building, it is necessary to consider ascertain whether the proposals 'would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted'. - 6.3 In addition, as the property is located within the Castletown Conservation Area, it is necessary to consider whether the proposals '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.' - 6.4 As evidenced by the Planning Application history, the George Hotel has undergone a substantial degree of alteration, at least in its recent history. The photographic survey appended to the application is also most useful in the consideration of these proposals and bears this out. These alterations are therefore considered in the context of the building as viewed today. - 6.5 Starting on the Ground Floor rear, it is proposed here to re-order the Function Room via the removal and replacement of the Store with a Kitchen serving the Function Room and the reorganisation of the bar to be a through bar serving front and rear of the building. This area has been the subject of numerous applications in recent decades epitomised in detailing such as the dado level panelling on the walls and the bar which are clearly modern. The photography also shows the bare plasterboard finish to the interior of the Store. The works to this part of the building are therefore not considered to be detrimental to the character of the Registered Building and are therefore acceptable. - 6.6 The other proposals to the Ground Floor relate to the re-ordering of the gents and ladies wcs and the enlargement of the corridor width to 1200mm to allow for disabled access to and from the rear Beer Garden. The gents and ladies have already been compromised via previous applications.

• Given these recent interventions and the lack of notable historic detailing etc. these works are not considered to have a detrimental impact upon the character of the Registered Building and are therefore considered to be acceptable.
• 6.7 In similar vein to the proposals to the Ground Floor, the creation of the two twin bedrooms with associated en-suites in the area previously containing the Kitchens is entirely acceptable. These works will also entail the reduction of the window widths. The current windows are of a landscape format that is synonymous with the period between the 1960s and the 1990s on the Island and certainly have no architectural or historic significance, so the reduction of the window widths is not objectionable.
• 6.8 In conclusion, these works will not have a detrimental impact upon the character of the Registered Building particularly as that character has been compromised by alteration works in the past. Similarly, the external visual impact, specifically that of the reduction of the first floor windows and the introduction of the two sunpipes are similarly not considered to have a detrimental impact upon the character of the Castletown Conservation Area within which the building sits.
• 6.9 It is considered that the proposals do not have a detrimental impact upon the character of the Registered Building and the Conservation Area within which it is located and in doing so, it is considered that the application conforms to the basis of Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policies 32, 34 and 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (20th June 2007) and Policies RB/5 and CA/2 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). It is therefore considered that the impact upon the character and appearance of the Registered Building and the Conservation Area within which it sits would be acceptable.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 For the above reasons the application is considered to be acceptable and is recommended for approval.

8.0 PARTY STATUS - 8.1 In line with Article 6(4) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure)(No2) Order 2013, the following Persons are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application: the applicant or, if there is one, the applicant's agent; the owner and occupier of the land the subject of the application, or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested, as their comments have been deemed material and Castletown Commissioners in whose district the land the subject of the application sits.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 11.08.2017 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 recommendation to approve relates to the following drawn information, all date stamped as having been received 19 May 2017:

Drawing number 17010 01 Existing and Proposed Plans

• Drawing number 17010 03 Location Plans
• Drawing number 17010 04 Back Elevations
• Drawing number 17010 05 Planning and Photographic Survey Legend

• A3 sheet of 12No colour interior photos relating to Drawing number 17010 05
• A4 Technical data sheet relating to Sheerframe from LB Plastics A4 Technical data sheet relating to Velux sun tunnels for pitched roofs.

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 : 11.08.2017 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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