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17/00789/B Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 17/00789/B Applicant : Broadway Baptist Church Proposal : Installation of replacement windows, door and roof slates Site Address : Baptist Church Annexe The Alpha Centre 7 - 8 Sherwood Terrace Douglas Isle of Man IM2 4EN
Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken : 24.08.2017 Site Visit : 24.08.2017 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 12.09.2017 __
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:
This approval relates to the following drawings
BBC. 01, BBC.03 pages 1-4, BBC.04 Rev A 2 of 2 and BBC.06 all received on 25.07.17 and BBC.04A received on 24.08.17.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
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1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The application site is within a residential area, the address is Baptist Church Annexe, The Alpha Centre, 7-8 Sherwood Terrace, Douglas which is located on Broadway which joins onto Douglas Promenade, the site is also within the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area.
1.2 The building is a Victorian terrace office building that is predominantly white on the exterior with slate roofing.
1.3 The site is used as a church building/ office area.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the installation of replacement sliding sash (one of which has a vertical glazing bar) windows, composite door and CUPA 12 roof slates.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The application site has not been the subject of any previous planning application that is considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY 4.1 When looking at local plan policies, the site is situated within an area zoned as predominantly residential on the Douglas 1998 Local Plan map no. 2 and lies within a Conservation area.
4.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 has two policies which are relevant to the examination of this application.
4.3 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 n.) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption.
4.4 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"
4.5 Circular 1/98 section 5 refers to the replacement of windows in conservation area such that "If the original windows are still in place they should preferably be repaired. If repair is impractical, replacement widow MUST BE THE SAME as the originals in all respects, including the method of opening, materials and detailed design. This policy will be strictly applied other than where the particular circumstances are so exceptional as to justify a relaxation"
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Douglas Borough Council - no objections (24.08.17).
5.2 Highway Services - no objections (18.08.17).
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 It is needed to consider General Policy 2 when looking at new development to ensure that there is limited impact on the surrounding area and nearby residents. Also as the area is within
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one of Douglas' Conservation Areas the application must ensure that the development preserves of enhances the area to be in accordance with Environment Policy 35.
6.2 The site itself faces into Broadway and it is a prominent sight from the street scene and the applicant states that "the building is generally a bit tired looking so this work will enhance the exterior appearance whilst keeping the look of the original", this is through the replacement of windows, doors and roof slates. The Conservation Area Appraisal identifies the church and annex as making a positive contribution to the Conservation Area.
6.3 Environment Policy 35 makes the point of permitting development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area, the replacement windows are very similar in colour and style to the current ones although the material change from wooden frame to PVC frames could be a concern, especially considering Circular 1/98 which state repair of windows is preferred over replacement. However on closer inspection the windows do appear to be in a deteriorating condition and have cracks on current frames, this maybe as a result of age or lack of maintenance, so replacements could be a better alternative to letting them remain and get worse. As mentioned previously one of the windows has a vertical glazing bar across it and the suggested replacement does not, however a more uniform street frontage would be achieved if all the windows were of the same type being uPVC double glazed sliding sash windows.
6.4 The replacement windows while changing the glazing from single glazing to double glazing which in terms of General Policy 2 part n.) would improve energy efficiency of the building, and therefore the replacement windows would be an improvement.
6.5 The replacement slates are CUPA 12 slates which are a natural type of slate that are grey in colour, these are the type that are selected to replace the current type on the roof. The photos provided within the application show both the current roof slates and the new CUPA 12 slates, and while they are indeed similar to the current slates they will be noticeably different from the weathered slates currently on the roof. However given time the new slates will gain a weathered look and will look very similar to what is present currently.
6.6 Again referring to Environment Policy 35, the current doors that are to be replaced with "Blue Sapphire" composite doors which were a change to the original choice of white composite doors on the original application, this then changed when the agent was contacted. This could potentially be an enhancement to the area due to doors that are currently present are not a typical Victorian style found in the area. The replacement doors are closer to the Victorian style than the originals and therefore it would be an enhancement to the conservation area.
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 Overall, it is considered the proposal would comply with the relevant policies of the Isle Of Man Strategic Plan and the application is supported.
8.0 INTERSTED 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:
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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.
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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: 15.09.2017
Determining officer
Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett
Senior Planning Officer
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