DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/01121/B Applicant: Castle Rushen High School Proposal: Replacement of an existing bike shelter with a high level canopy Site Address: Castle Rushen High School Arbory Road Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1RE Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken: 06.11.2019 Site Visit: 06.11.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.12.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 drawing numbers 2019/30/01 and 2019/30/02 Rev A date stamped and received 7 October 2019. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The application site is the curtilage of Castle Rushen High School, Arbory Road, Castletown. The site is situated to the southern side of Arbory Road, the car park and sports courts are adjacent to the road with the school buildings set back behind. The entrance to the site is adjacent to the Southern Swimming Pool building. The area of the proposed works is a small paved area which is partly enclosed by different classrooms within the school. This area

is not visible from the outside of the school and is only visible from the classroom which partly encloses it or from the staff parking area south of the tennis court.

THE PROPOSAL

2.1 The application seeks planning approval for the replacement of an existing bike shelter with a high level canopy. This canopy will be 10m long, 3.9m wide, 4.9m high on the western elevation and 4.2m high on the eastern elevation; with its mono-pitched roof sloping towards the eastern elevation. The roof will be covered with Twinwall polycarbonate sheeting fixed to powder coated metal frame, coloured blue. There will be no walls on the sides of this canopy as the external walls of the surrounding building which encloses the east, south and west elevations will serve to enclose the canopy. PLANNING POLICIES - 3.1 The application site is within an area zoned as "Secondary School" identified on the Area Plan for the South 2013, and the site is not within a Conservation Area. Given the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider General Policy 2 and Community Policy 5 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

3.2 General Policy 2 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.

3.3 Community Policy 5 Permission will generally be given for proposals to improve or extend existing schools and institutions of high education and to build new schools, subject to their being sited and designed in accordance with the other policies of this plan, having particular regard to the potential for community use of the buildings and the associated Open Space.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 There have been a number of previous applications for the High School, none of which specifically relate to this site and therefore are not considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application.

REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only.

5.1 Representation from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division confirms that they 'Do not oppose' in the letter dated 30 October 2019.

5.2 Castletown Commissioners although consulted on 21 October 2019, have not commented on this application at the time of drafting this report. ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of this application are principle of the proposed facility, the impact on the visual amenity of the area, as well as the building.

6.2 Principle of the proposed facility

• 6.2.1 The proposed use readily falls into the established use of the site and would provide a useable, social space within the school; besides being a complimentary extension to this section of the school building. It is considered that the proposed use would not be contrary to General Policy 2 (b) & (c) with regard to the use of the site.

6.3 The impact on the visual amenity of the area

6.3.1 The proposal would not be visible from the main public thoroughfares and therefore would not have an unacceptable impact upon the character and appearance of the school or area in general. Given that it is within the school and would not be visible from the public thoroughfare it is considered that the proposal would not have an unacceptable impact upon the amenities of neighbouring properties or the character and appearance of the street scene.

6.4 The impact on the Building

• 6.4.1 With regard to impact on the school building itself, the proposed canopy would fit well with the design and proportions of the roof and building generally. Moreover, the canopy would be subordinate to the main building and as such will not constitute an off-balance feature on the building's elevation.

CONCLUSION

7.1 For the above reasons the proposal is considered to meet with the standards of GP2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and therefore considered to be acceptable. 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 Planning Committee 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: 03.12.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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