DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00317/CON Applicant: Bishops Barrow Charity Proposal: Installation of overhead heaters and radiator tubes located under pews (Registered Building Nos. 185) Site Address: The Chapel King Williams College Grounds Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1TP Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 23.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to drawings 03/01 date stamped as received 20th March along with (03)002 and the GDC information sheet both received on 18th March, 2019. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is the curtilage of King William's College, a site which includes a number of buildings, some of which are Registered and including the chapel which is Registered (RB185). The chapel sits to the south of the main college building, between it and Derbyhaven Road. - 1.2 The chapel is a detached building which is readily visible from Derbyhaven Road, sitting between the main college structure and two much smaller, modern buildings to the south. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Proposed is Registered Building consent for the installation of tubular heaters underneath a number of the pews and the installation of overhead radiant heaters suspended from the ceiling. - 2.2 The applicant has provided additional information, explaining that the existing hot water underfloor heating system has been found to be very inefficient and is becoming very unreliable to use on a frequent basis: the chapel is used daily but only for a few hours at a time. The building has no insulation which would be very difficult to introduce without significant disruption. The overhead radiant heater would provide instant heating without having to be turned on hours before use and the under pew heating will help raise the ambient temperature when required. - 2.3 The low wattage Dimplex heaters will be screw fixed to the underside of the pews and will be hidden from view: cabling will be routed to the rear of the pews and taken vertically down and connected to the existing electricity supply located in the floor. The cables will be hidden from view. - 2.4 An image of the overhead heaters is provided and it is explained that they are relatively lightweight and will be suspended on lightweight chains, secured to the exposed timber rafters using screw in eyes with the supply cables routed on the top edge of the existing purlins and hidden from view. Both types of heater can be easily removed without damage to the structure of the building. PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South as Area for Civic, Cultural or other uses - College. The site also contains a number of Registered Buildings (see 1.1 above). - 3.2 The development concerns only internal fabric and changes thereto and thus no planning approval is required. Changes to Registered Buildings need to ensure that any historic importance or value is not adversely affected in accordance with the following Departmental policies: Planning Policy Statement 1/01:

POLICY RB/3 General criteria applied in considering registered building applications The issues that are generally relevant to the consideration of all registered building applications are:-

• o The importance of the building, its intrinsic architectural and historic interest and rarity, relative to the Island as a whole and within the local context;
• o The particular physical features of the building (which may include its design, plan, materials
• or location) which justify its inclusion in the register; descriptions annexed to the entry in the register may draw attention to features of particular interest or value, but they are not exhaustive and other features of importance, (e.g. Interiors, murals, hidden fireplaces) may come to light after the building's entry in the register;

• o The building's setting and its contribution to the local scene, which may be very important, e.g. Where it forms an element in a group, park, garden or other townscape or landscape, or where it shares particular architectural forms or details with other buildings nearby (including
• other registered buildings).

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

Environment Policy 32: 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.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 Approval has been granted for various alterations to buildings within the site but none, as far as can be ascertained, for alterations to the chapel. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway services recommend that there is no highway interest in the application (11.04.19). ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issue here is whether the proposed works would have any adverse impact on any fabric of historic interest or importance and if so, whether there are reasons to justify such an impact. There is often a balance to be struck between safeguarding an historic building for its own sake and allowing some change to facilitate its better use which in turn will help secured investment in it and its maintenance and use, ideally for its original purpose.

6.2 In this case, there will be limited visual impact from the new infrastructure and suspended heaters can often be found in older buildings where there is no internal heating system. The under pew heating will not be seen and both types of heating will be introduced with limited impact on the building itself or its fixtures. CONCLUSION - 7.1 It is considered that the proposed works will have very limited impact on the integrity of the building but would enable better and greater use of the building for its original purpose and as such, the application is supported.

INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 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 _____________________________________________________________________

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 : 28.05.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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