DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00483/GB Applicant: Illustrate Ltd Proposal: Installation of replacement windows (in association with 19/00484/CON) Site Address: 2 Victoria Terrace Douglas Isle of Man IM2 4EU Principal Planner: Mr Chris Balmer Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 16.08.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 29th April 2019 and 4th August 2019 (window details). _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The site is the curtilage of No. 2 Victoria Terrace, Douglas, situated off Victoria Road and aligned North West to South East, Victoria Terrace. It was part of the mid to late Nineteenth Century expansion of Douglas. - 1.2 The topography of the Terrace and the surrounding urban development means that there is a general absence of any vistas into or out of the Terrace with no landscaping in the

• form of a either communal garden or trees lining the street, the houses front onto the pavement with minimal garden space.
• 1.3 The terraces have hipped roofs clad in Welsh slate, with chimneys displaying a variety of pots, situated at the junction of the hips with the ridge and act as 'bookends' containing each Villa. At Ground Floor a large rectangular painted timber sliding sash window. Classically styled pedimented single storey porches housing the front entrance doors to the two properties articulate the building frontages.
• 1.4 The rear of the properties facing the rear lane which would no doubt have allowed service access to the rear of the properties. The rear gardens are unusual for the time in that they are level with the Ground Floor rather than the Basement as was usually the case.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks approval for the installation of replacement windows (in association with 19/00484/CON).

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The application site has not previously been the subject of a number of Planning and Registered Building consent applications.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 In terms of the current land use designation the site is identified as being an area of Predominantly Residential use on the Douglas Local Plan . The site is not within a Conservation Area; however, the building is a Registered Building Nr 187. - 4.2 Due to the land use designation of the site and the type of development proposed the following policies are relevant for consideration:- - 4.3 Environment Policy 32 states: "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." - 4.4 Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Guide to the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man states the following: - 4.5 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).

4.6 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.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services comment there are no highway implications (13.05.2019). - 5.2 Douglas Borough Council have no objection (17.05.2019).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 There is considered to be a single key issues when determining this application; is whether the proposal would or wouldn't affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. - 6.2 The application is to replace existing painted softwood sliding sash windows with hardwood, double glazed sliding sash windows. In itself, this is in accordance with the policies outlined above and is therefore acceptable. However, this property is one of a terrace of twelve whose windows are in varying states of repair and glazing pattern. There are a small, but significant number of properties, including numbers 4, 7 and 9 that retain their Georgian, multi-paned windows in a three over six, first floor format and a ten over ten Ground Floor format, to the front elevation at least. The proposal would reintroduce these original features which have been lost by the installation of the existing timber 50/50 split sash windows (at first floor) and omitting the glazing bars. - 6.3 Consultation took place with the applicant with the former Register Building Officer which has resulted in the proposals to incorporate the glazing bar pattern of the original windows remaining in the neighbouring properties. As a result, this application is considered to be an enhancement to the character of the Registered Building and is therefore acceptable complying with Environment Policy 32 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01. The windows to the rear are also considered acceptable. - 6.4 Internally, the proposed works would remove what is believed to be a recently added wall, to split the rear room into a kitchen and dining room. It is understood that the basements of these properties along Victoria Terrace were the kitchens and the rear room at ground level living rooms. This proposal would result in the original floor plan and therefore considered to be an enhancement to the Registered Building.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 For the above reasons the application is considered to be acceptable and is recommended for approval, complying with EP 22 of the IOMSP and Planning Policy Statement 1/01.

- 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 a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 19.08.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

Customer note

This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.