176118

==== PAGE 1 ====

                                      19/00742/B                                     Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 19/00742/B Applicant : Mr Adrian Ferrara Proposal : Extension of driveway and vehicular access Site Address : 32 Cronk Y Berry Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 6ES

Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken : 23.07.2019 Site Visit : 23.07.2019 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 12.08.2019 __

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 Location plan, the Site Plan, Existing layout plan, Proposed layout plan, and photos date stamped and received 2 July 2019.

__

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None

__

Officer’s Report

THE SITE 1.1 The site represents the existing residential curtilage of 32 Cronk Y Berry, Douglas, located on the western side of Cronk Y Berry which ends in a cul de sac. The property is a

==== PAGE 2 ====

                                      19/00742/B                                     Page  2  of  4

modern detached dwelling with an attached garage on the left section of the front elevation. This garage is served by a driveway which is suitable for a single car.

1.2 The dwelling is finished in spar dash-render along with a brick wall feature to the front elevation. A flat roof dormer sits midway between the roof and overlooks the highway. Its front garden stretches from the boundary of the driveway to the boundary with No. 33 Cronk Y Berry.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks approval for the widening of existing vehicular access and creation of additional parking area. This would involve the increase in width of existing vehicular access and parking area at front of property to create one additional parking space. This area will be finished in concrete to match the existing. The proposed will be 3.2m wide and will extend from the footway to the existing hardstanding area in front of the building.

2.2 The alterations to the vehicular access onto the highway will include the installation of a drop kerb to enable easy access to the highway. It is also worth noting that there will be visibility splays of 25m on both sides of the proposed driveway (The housing estate is a 20mph zone and has open garden frontages).

PLANNING POLICIES 3.1 The application site is within an area classified as 'Predominantly Residential' under the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998 (Map 3). The site is not within a Conservation Area. Due to the zoning of the site and the proposed works the following policies are relevant in the determination of the application:-

3.2 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; (h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan;

3.3 Residential Design Guide - DEFA - March 2019 states: "Proposals which result in the loss of more than 50% of the existing front lawned/landscaped garden will not normally be supported, to ensure the character of the street scape is retained and avoid frontages of properties appearing as one large car parking area, detrimental to the appearance of the street scene and to the outlook of residents. It is important that the design of a driveway maintains a balance between hard and soft landscaping and contributes positively to the street scene. Proposals are unlikely to be supported where they do not meet the following guidelines: o the area intended for the driveway should be the minimum space necessary (see the Manual for Manx Roads); o where possible, separate pedestrian access should be retained/provided (existing gates should normally be retained and any new gates should not open out over the highway); o consideration should be given to a strip of grass or gravel placed in the centre of the hardstanding can hide leaked oil and maintain the look of a front garden; and o parking spaces should be avoided directly in front of any Primary Window as the resulting

==== PAGE 3 ====

                                      19/00742/B                                     Page  3  of  4

outlook can be undermined by the presence of parked cars."

3.4 Section 11.6 Manual for Manx Roads 11.6.2 The minimum recommended distance between the front of a garage and entrance gates is 7.0 m. Where entrance gates are not to be erected this distance can be reduced to 6.0 m. The minimum recommended length of any parking space within the curtilage is 5.5 m. These requirements should be regarded as essential on primary routes and classified roads, as these routes tend to be busier and, on occasion, high speed, meaning that any vehicle parking in the carriageway whilst gates or garage doors are opened would potentially conflict with moving traffic. Where a development is located on the unclassified road network, lower distances will be considered.

11.6.3 If the driveway is to be used as both vehicular and pedestrian access to the dwelling, the parking area should have a minimum width of 3.4 m; otherwise the width can be reduced to a recommended minimum of 2.5 m, unless adjacent to boundaries when the recommended minimum width is 3.0 m. 11.6.4 Where a property is to be divided into several residential units, which increases parking requirements, a communal parking area may be provided.

PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 There are no previous planning applications which are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application.

REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only. 5.1 Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highway Services although consulted on 16 July 2019, has not commented on this application at the time of drafting this report, and so it is assumed that there are no objections to the application.

5.2 Douglas Borough Council has stated that they have no objections to the application in a letter dated 2 August 2019.

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The key issue in this case is the potential visual impact of the proposed works to the street scene, as well as the impact of the proposed works on highway safety.

6.2 Character and Appearance 6.2.1 The Department has recently published the Residential Design Guidance (July 2019) which addresses the visual amenity of the additional car parking space stating "Proposals which result in the loss of more than 50% of the existing front lawned/landscape garden will not normally be supported, to ensure the character of the street scape is retained and avoid frontages of properties appearing as one large car parking area, detrimental to the appearance of the street scene and to the outlook of residents". In this case, the additional parking area will result in the loss of less than 40% of the existing front lawn and as such is acceptable.

6.2.2 There is also sufficient space to allow for pedestrian movement when both cars are parked on the driveway; hence conforming to the requirements stipulated in section 11.6.3 of the MFMR. Additionally, the increased hardstanding area would not visibly change the view in the cul-de-sac within which the dwelling sits as other dwellings with similar designs and front garden spaces have had alterations to their driveway with adequate turfed areas still provided as would the application site.

6.3 Impact on Highway safety 6.3.3 Regarding highway safety, it should be noted that the extension of the drop kerb to replace the raised kerb stones will increase the width of the access, and as such represents an

==== PAGE 4 ====

                                      19/00742/B                                     Page  4  of  4

improvement to highway safety, since vehicular access to and from the site will be facilitated by the enhanced access. Moreover, the views along the street is fairly straight with no trees or shrubs obstructing the line of sight; making it possible for drivers to easily access the highway without creating safety concerns for pedestrians approaching the dwelling via the footway.

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 Manual for Manx Roads therefore it is recommended that the application be approved.

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 : 12.08.2019

Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER

Stephen Butler

Head of Development Management

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.