DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 18/01319/B Applicant: The Co-Operative Group Proposal: Alterations and renovation of property including repositioning of entrance door Site Address: White House 11 New Road Laxey Isle Of Man IM4 7BB Senior Planning Officer: Mr Thomas O'Connor Site Visit: 30.01.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 04.02.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 shall be carried out in accordance with the following drawings submitted in support of this application on 18th December 2018:

Existing Elevations and Plan - 12979-DB3-00-A-20.00, Proposed Elevations and Plan - 12979-DB3-00-A-2001, Rev A; Site Location Plan - 12979-DB3- - - A-9001 Rev A; Site Plan - 12979-DB3- - - A-9002 Proposed Location Plan - 12979 - DB3-B01-00-DR-2003 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THE SITE

1.1 The application site consists of the Co-Op food store located on the Junction of New Road with Church Hill leading to the Level crossing and Laxey Station to the East behind the application site. Across New Road the west is located a petrol Station. The Site is located within the Laxey Conservation Area. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks; in conjunction with a companion application for advertisement consent (18/01318/B) to replace both externally illuminated and non-illuminated signage on the fascia of the building; alterations and renovations to the property principally the closing up of the existing door on the corner of the premises and repositioning of entrance door centrally to face onto New Road. The works would consist of

• o Removal of the exiting entrance from its corner location and replace with a new uPVC framed window with steps and handrails removed.
• o Relocate the main entrance to the front elevation onto New Road replacing an existing window. Doors would be of the sliding door type, (2000 x 3300mm) in aluminium, finished in traffic grey (RAL 7043) with an internal ramp.
• o The other front elevation window would be repaired and painted in traffic grey;
• o The existing centrally positioned fire escape door would be repainted traffic grey and the ATM rebranded with blue signage as indicated in the advertisement consent.
• o External walls would be rendered cream to march existing.

PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The application site is shown on the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan Order 2005 as being within an area designated as a mixed use area within the Laxey Conservation Area.

3.2 Due to the designation of the site and the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider the following polices of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016: - 3.3 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;

Policy 35 of the 2016 Plan states that, in Conservation Areas, development would only be permitted that would serve to preserve and enhance the character or appearance of the Area and would ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development.

PLANNING HISTORY (Most Recent Advertisements relating to existing signage on site)

• 4.1; 12/01198/B - Alterations to shop front and installation of replacement windows permitted 4.2; 08/02360/D - Installation of illuminated Signage permitted

REPRESENTATIONS Garth Commissioners: No objections raised (11/01/2019) but note that there are regulations that control the style and type of alterations to a building particularly in Conservation Areas. The Commissioners therefore reserve further comment and defer to the expertise of the Planning Authority on this matter.

Neighbours and local residents: No observations have been received.

Buildings Registration Officer: No Objection raised (31/01/2019) Highways: No highways interest 07/01/2019 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The issues relevant to this application are the refurbishment and retention of use of a long established retail store within the core of the village and the preservation and enhancement of the character of the building within the Laxey Conservation Area. - 6.2 External alterations to the building centre upon the replacement of the existing corner entrance with a fixed frame window and the relocation of the main entrance to the store onto the main front elevation of the store as well as other minor alterations to the front elevation. - 6.3 Proposed alterations to the external fabric of the building would be minor overall and maintain the character of the building. These would result in significant improvements to the function of the building as a retail premises without detracting from either the character or appearance of the building or its setting within the Conservation Area. As such, the proposal would comply with the requirements of Policy 35 of the 2016 Policy document.

• 6.4The Buildings Regulations Officer has been verbally consulted on this matter and has raised no adverse comment

6.5 It is also worth bearing in mind the appearance of the garage directly across New Road which is brightly illuminated within the Conservation Area street scene and highly conspicuous within this part of the Area. - 6.6 Highway has been consulted and no comments have been received. The physical layout of the signage to the road remains the same as before with no material changes in highway terms.

CONCLUSION

• 7.1. The application is therefore recommended for approval INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 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) Persons to whom notice has been given under regulation 10(3) (a) (I)
• (d) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material;
• (e) The Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (f) The Ports Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (g) The operator of the railway or tramway; and
• (h) 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 : 04.02.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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