Officer Report

Application No.: 17/00905/C Applicant: David John & Margaret Wendy Hill Proposal: Change of use from self-catering tourist accommodation to private dwelling Site Address: 23 Mill Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1AG Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 25.09.2017 _________________________________________________________________

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

The development hereby approved relates to the Location Plan and Floor Layout, date-stamped as having been received 23rd August 2017. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None. _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is the curtilage of 23 Mill Street, a building situated to the north of three attached properties within Castletown's Conservation Area. It is in use as a self-catering tourist unit.

2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION - 2.1 The application seeks to change the use of the building back to a residential dwelling. The applicant explains that due to a recent and significant change in their health, it is no longer possible for the property to be offered for tourist use.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The approval to convert the dwelling to a self-catering unit carried the reference number 02/01814/C.

4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 The site falls within an area zoned as Residential on the Area Plan for the South Map 5. While there are permitted development rights that allow the change of use from guest houses to residential dwellings, the property in question is in self-catering use rather than as a guest house, for which no such provision applies. As such, the application falls to be assessed against General Policy 2 and Transport Policy 7 of the Strategic Plan, which does not contain any policies that seek to protect or retain existing tourist uses.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services offered no objection to the application in comments received 25th September 2017, the relevant point being as follows:

"The dwelling is located within a town centre with good pedestrian and public transport links; there will be little difference in the car parking generation due to the change in use."

5.2 Castletown Commissioners offered no objection to the application in comments received 7th September 2017.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 While the change of (or additional) use of a residential dwelling as a tourist unit can sometimes result in local concern about the impact of the use on living conditions through antisocial behaviour or parking congestion, this application proposes the opposite. The surrounding area is residential in nature (and recognised as such in the Area Plan zoning), and as such the use of this property for such a use would be more in keeping with its immediate environment. - 6.2 It is noted and welcomed that Highway Services have raised no concern.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 While the loss of an attractive tourist opportunity is to be lamented, no objections have been received from DED's Tourism team, and there are no planning policies on which to base a substantive objection from the Department in this case. The application is therefore judged to be acceptable.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 Article 6(4), 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.

8.2 The decision-maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material, and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed in Article 6(4) who should be given Interested Person Status.

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 : 26.09.2017 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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