8 March 2019 · Planning Committee
Warwick House, Victoria Road, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM2 4ae
The proposal involves changing the use of a two-storey modern office building (340 sqm internal floor area) with 25 off-street parking spaces from vacant offices (Class 4) to a sui generis private health clinic providing up to four consulting rooms for visiting practitioners on an appointment-only basis.
Click a button above to find applications similar to this one.
See how this application compares to similar ones — policies, conditions, and outcomes side by side.
The officer considered the building vacant since 2016 despite marketing, with surplus office space in Douglas, making loss of office use acceptable and complying with Business Policy 1.
Strategic Policy 1
Requires optimising use of previously developed land, redundant buildings, efficient site use and utilising existing infrastructure. Officer assessed re-use of vacant office building near town centre as complying by bringing redundant building back into low-intensity use without needing new infrastructure.
Business Policy 1
Encourages employment growth if according with Plan policies. Officer found change to private health facility acceptable as it generates employment, does not adversely impact office availability in surplus market, and fits mixed-use zoning.
Strategic Policy 2 - Priority for new development to identified towns and villages
Directs development to towns/villages. Site on town centre boundary edge assessed as suitable urban location.
General Policy 1
Requires regard to Development Plan and material considerations. Officer weighed all policies and representations.
General Policy 2
Permits zoned development if respecting site/surroundings, amenity, highways, parking etc. No physical changes; conditions ensure no adverse amenity/highway effects in mixed area.
Transport Policy 7
Requires 3 spaces per consulting room plus staff parking. Officer accepted 25 spaces sufficient with conditions limiting to 4 rooms/9 persons vs Highways' max-use calculation of 27; lower intensity than prior office.
Community Policy 6
Permits health facilities if no over-concentration, amenity/highway impact, accessible. Assessed as sui generis private use but complying in spirit: low operation, accessible, conditioned to avoid impacts.
Time limit
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.
Occupancy limit
No more than 4 consultation rooms shall be in use at any one time. Reason: In order to maintain a satisfactory level of operation of the premises commensurate with the operational parameters of the site.
Operating hours
The use hereby approved shall not be undertaken outside the following times: 0900 to 2000 hours on Mondays to Saturdays and 1000 to 1800 hours on Sundays. Reason: In order to maintain the amenities of the area.
No objection to the proposal
Douglas Borough Council raised no objections to the application. Highways expressed concerns over potential increase in consulting rooms, parking demand due to extended hours, and lack of control over rented rooms, questioning enforceability of conditions to limit staff/rooms.
Key concern: potential increase in consulting rooms beyond 4 and associated parking demand due to extended hours and rented rooms
Douglas Borough Council
No ObjectionDouglas Borough Council has no objections to the listed applications.
Dept of Infrastructure
ObjectionI still have concerns that the site use could be increased from 4 consulting rooms by converting the equipment/storage rooms to create further consulting rooms and additional parking beyond the site parking provision.; The fact that the opening hours includes weekends and evening would exacerbate this when parking demand in the surrounding area would be at its highest.; It also appears that the applicant intends to rent out the consulting rooms and therefore would not have control over the number of staff/medical practitioners operating at the site.; Is there anything that could be done to limit the number of staff/consulting rooms bearing in mind any planning conditions imposed would have to be enforceable?
