DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00035/B Applicant: Mr Daniel Ward Proposal: Alterations, demolition of rear garage and outlets and erection of extension (in association with 19/00036/CON) Site Address: 101 Woodbourne Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3AR Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken: 11.02.2019 Site Visit: 11.02.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 13.02.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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;

This decision relates to drawing 1474.10 and the location plan both received on 15th January, 2019. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of an existing end of terrace property situated on the north western side of Woodbourne Road. The building is a three storey, rendered, Victorian dwelling which has curved headed windows (not rounded heads as shown in the drawings), mouldings around the windows, string courses and dentilled cornices which extend from the

• front elevation round to the side although not all of this is shown in the submitted drawings although these features are not affected by the proposed works.
• 1.2 The rear elevation is less attractive without the detailing on the other elevations and where there is a monopitch roofed two storey annex with the apex on the side boundary with the adjoining dwelling, which then steps down to a single storey monopitch roofed annex. There is a detached pitched roofed garage which sits to the south of the rear annex and which has a large garage door onto the rear land as well as a second garage door to the north serving a small yard (insufficient space in which to manoeuvre a vehicle). The garage has an internal floor area of 5.8m by 3.5m.
• 1.3 Elsewhere in the rear lane there is evidence of the retention of the original stone wall but also instances where the wall has been completely removed to provide vehicular parking and in some cases replaced with rendered walling with and without access points. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Proposed is the demolition of the garage, utility room and kitchen and its replacement with a flat roofed annex with two rooflights and a flat roofed garage adjoining. The garage will be slightly taller, longer and wider than the existing - 750mm higher and 4.8m by 6.3m and an internal height of 2.5m. The extension will have a pre-cast concrete coping on the adjoining neighbour's side projecting 300mm above the level of the rooflights which sit approximately 200mm higher than the flat roof. - 2.2 The laneside wall will be rebuilt in render rather than the existing stonework. - 2.3 The kitchen will have its existing door and window replaced by a set of bi-fold doors which will be 3.35m wide. PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Douglas Local Plan of 1999 and the draft Area Plan for the East, as predominantly residential and within the Woodbourne Road Conservation Area. The CA Appraisal does not mention this property or this part of Woodbourne Road in particular although one of the negative features is the presence of so many parked vehicles in public view. No reference is made to the rear lane. - 3.2 Development within a CA must preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area as set out in EP 35 and PPS 1/01. Demolition within a CA is discouraged where these buildings or structures make a positive contribution to the CA (EP39) and EP30 generally presumes against the demolition of any Registered Building although the building is not registered in this case; RB consent is only required because the proposal involves demolition within a CA. - 3.3. General Policy 2 sets out general standards of development and the following are considered relevant here:

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 and

• (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways."

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 Planning approval was sought and granted for the replacement of the windows in the property - 18/01177/B. A contemporaneous application has been submitted for Registered Building consent for the removal of the rear wall and existing fabric - 19/00036/CON. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection (01.02.19). ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issues in this case are whether the works have any adverse impact on the character or appearance of the Conservation Area, whether there would be any adverse impact on the living conditions of those in neighbouring dwellings or whether there will be any adverse impact on highway safety.

6.2 Character and appearance of the Conservation Area

• 6.2.1 The works are at the rear of the property and are seen in the context of a back lane. The most significant change will be the change from a stone wall with garage doors within it to a rendered wall with one garage door and a pedestrian door. Whilst it would undoubtedly be preferred to retain the stone wall or recreate it in any new construction, as confirmed by the Registered Buildings Officer, the context of the site, being at the rear of the building, reduces the importance of the stone wall, compounded by the alterations which have been undertaken elsewhere along the lane, in some cases with the complete removal of the existing stone wall and in other cases its replacement with rendered walling, just slightly further along from the application site. As such, it is not considered of sufficient importance to the character of the Conservation Area to require the stone wall to be retained or recreated, to justify the refusal of the application for this reason.
• 6.2.2 The other works will generally be hidden from view behind the new wall and will thus have no impact on the character or appearance of the Conservation Area.
• 6.3 Impact on neighbouring properties

• 6.3.1 The works keep the new fabric at a relatively low level and there will as such, be no impact on the outlook, light or privacy of those in the adjoining dwellings. Similarly, due to the height of the new building, there will be no new viewpoint from the new accommodation into existing neighbouring properties. The ground floor bi-fold doors will not provide a view that is not already there.

6.4 Impact on highway safety

• 6.4.1 The new garage will meet current standards for the parking of a vehicle and will provide more space than at present. The provision of off-road car parking spaces will contribute positively to the character and appearance of the CA as noted in the appraisal.

CONCLUSION

7.1 Whilst the retention of the existing stone wall, or its replacement with new stonework would be preferable, this is not considered a sufficient reason to refuse the application. The application is supported. 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 : 13.02.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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