DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00821/B Applicant: Arrandale House Ltd Proposal: Installation of dormers to replacement existing Site Address: 29 Hutchinson Square Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4HP Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Photo Taken: 21.08.2019 Site Visit: 21.08.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.09.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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;

This decision relates to drawing 19/2790/01 (existing & proposed floor plan, elevations, site and location plans), date stamped as received on 23rd July 2019. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is 29 Hutchinson Square in Douglas, a traditional yellow brick 3 storey terrace with a slate roof and single pitched roof dormer window to the front. There is also a single pitched roof dormer to the rear elevation facing the access lane to the rear.

1.2 The properties at either side feature full length flat roofed dormers at the front with three windows and slate finish facing. Further down the terrace and on similar properties at the opposite side of the square the properties have pitched roof dormers.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the replacement of the pitched dormer to the front with a full length flat roof dormer extension to match the adjacent and overlap with the one on 30 Hutchinson Square. The dormer would feature three casement windows and slate cladding to the front to match the surrounding ones. - 2.2 To the rear, the existing pitched roof dormer would be replaced with a double flat roofed dormer with a render finish to match the existing and two single pane windows.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The proposal site is situated in an area covered by the Douglas Local Plan 1998. Within this plan it is zoned as Predominantly Residential. The site is within Ballaquayle Road Conservation Area. - 3.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 sets out some general policies which should be considered when assessing an application in an area zoned as such. General Policy 2 (in part) is key to this application; "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."

3.3 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." - 3.4 Whilst not planning policy, the Department's recently published Residential Design Guidance (March 2019) will be referenced in this report and is capable of being a material consideration. 4.6 of this guidance deals specifically with dormer extensions.

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 85/01090/B - Alterations including installation of front and rear dormers, bedroom and W.C. extensions and internal conversions, 29 Hutchinson Square, Douglas. APPROVED (existing dormers). - 4.2 89/00996/B - Installation of dormer windows, 30 Hutchinson Square, Douglas. APPROVED.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 DoI Highway Services have stated that there is no highways interest in this application (02.08.19). - 5.2 Douglas Borough Council have no objection to the application (09.08.19).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of this application are the potential impacts of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site dwelling, wider street scene and Conservation Area, and the amenity of the neighbours.

6.2 Character and Appearance

• 6.2.1 This consideration relates to General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 as per section 4 of this report. The key test is contained within Environment Policy 35 which requires that all development within Conservation Areas must 'preserve or enhance' that area.
• 6.2.2 Additionally, the Residential Design Guidance issued by DEFA (March 2019) contains design guidance relating specifically to dormer extensions in section 4.6. It states that dormer windows "are unlikely to be supported where they are publically visible, unless they already form a positive characteristic of the property or street scene."
• 6.2.3 Firstly, the rear dormers will have limited visual impact due to their location at the rear, not readily visible from an public road with exception of the access lane. The use of a larger flat roof dormer to replace the existing modern pitched dormer would not detract from the character and appearance of the site or surrounding Conservation Area. It impact would not be increased unacceptably. This part of the proposal would comply with GP2 and EP35, as well as the RDG.
• 6.2.4 Secondly, the front dormers proposed are considered. Generally, such flat roofed dormers as a standalone feature on a single terraced property such as this would be unacceptable. However, the assessment here must consider whether the current traditional dormer features, surrounded by neighbouring flat roofed dormers similar to the one proposed is a complimentary feature of the street scene, or if it actually acts as a break in the overall form of the terrace. It is considered that the use of a flat roofed, slate faced dormer to match the adjoining one and to join into it seamlessly would reduce the overall visual impact of the dormers in this area and effectively 'fill in the gap' between the surrounding dormers. The proposal would provide a great uniformity when read in its context. Overall, the proposal, given its unique location and the surrounding street scene, is considered acceptable as an exception and in accordance with the aforementioned policy.

6.3 Neighbour Amenity

• 6.3.1 It is also important to assess any potential loss of amenity from the perspective of neighbours. With the addition of new windows, overlooking and loss of privacy is always a consideration. As outlined in 7.5.1 of the Residential Design Guide, the "20 metre guide" provides a useful way to identify where overlooking is likely to be a concern. It refers to the distance between elevations that contain windows serving habitable rooms that face each other

• if this distance is over 20 metres, overlook is unlikely to be a concern. This distance can be relaxed where the design or orientation is such that privacy and amenity of a neighbouring property is not compromised. In dense urban areas where there is already a level of mutual overlooking a lesser standard may be acceptable. The required distance may need to be greater if there is a change in topography, which would result in an adverse effect on the privacy and amenity of a neighbouring property.

• 6.3.2 It is not considered that, whilst there would be an additional top floor window to the rear, the level of overlooking would unacceptably increase onto the properties behind due to the presence of the existing dormer window in that position and mutual overlooking. Additionally, with the front dormer, the distance between the property and those on the other side of Hutchinson Square is approximately 60 metres, loss of privacy is considered much more likely from the footpaths and streets in the vicinity. In respect of neighbour amenity impact, the proposal is considered to accord with GP2.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 In summary, the proposal is considered on balance to be in accordance with GP2 and EP35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan policies outlined above, and with the DEFA Residential Design Guidance. It is therefore recommended for approval.

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 : 06.09.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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