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19/00730/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 19/00730/B Applicant : Mr Michael Melvin & Mr Thomas Callister Proposal : Erection of three double unit garages and associated turning area Site Address : Grays Gardens Rear Of May Hill Ramsey Isle Of Man
Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Photo Taken : 01.08.2019 Site Visit : 01.08.2019 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 21.08.2019 __
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.
C 2. All planting shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details in the next available planting and seeding seasons. Any tree or shrub which within a period of 5 years from the completion of the landscaping works, is removed, or becomes seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with another similar size and species, unless the planning authority gives written consent to any variation.
Reason: To ensure that the planting shown on thee approved drawings is carried out to ensure that some vegetation is provided as a break from the built structures and to improve the visual appearance of the area.
C 3. The garages hereby approved may be used only in association with residential use and for no commercial or industrial purposes.
Reason: To ensure that the use of the site remains residential and appropriate to the nature of the area, and to reduce the likelihood of unacceptable levels of vehicle activity and noise impacting the surrounding dwellings
Plans/Drawings/Information;
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This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 28th June 2019:
o Drawing 01 - Site & Location Plan o Drawing 02 -Proposed Site Plan o Drawing 03 -Existing and Proposed Elevations
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
It is recommended that the owners/occupiers of the following properties should be given Interested Person Status as they are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 6(4):
Magnolia House, Grays Gardens, Ramsey as they satisfy all of the requirements of paragraph 2 of the Department's Operational Policy on Interested Person Status (July 2018). __
Officer’s Report
1.0 SITE DESCRIPTION 1.1 The application site is the curtilage of Grays Gardens, rear of May Hill, Ramsey which is mostly undeveloped, to the rear of residential properties which run along May Hill and Beaumont Road. Directly to the north of the site is the curtilage of Magnolia House, and south is an access lane at the rear of Beaumont Road semi-detached dwellings. Between the rear of those dwellings and the access lane - to the south of the site, are a number of detached residential garages. There is a formal green space to the east of the site.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the demolition of an existing large pitched roof single garage on the plot and the erection of 3 double flat roofed garages. The garages would each be 2.5m in height, with a floor space (measured externally) of approximately 38m2.
2.2 There would be a block paved drive/turning area between 4 of the garages to the west and the double garage to the east of the plot, and some planting and hedging throughout. Acces would be via the existing access lane, onto which garages 1&2 would open, with the other 4 garages opening outwards to the paved central area.
2.3 In terms of finish the garage buildings would be white painted render with mesh fixed to the faces of the side walls to encourage planting to climb around it.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The following past planning applications are considered materially relevant to the assessment of the current application:
3.1.1 Erection of a row of nine lock up garages - 06/02010/B - REFUSED on the following grounds:- "The lanes serving the proposed garages are unsuitable, in terms of width and geometry, to take more traffic, the lack of an adequate apron in front of the garages would lead to obstruction of the lane whilst drivers open and shut garage doors; poor visibility at the corner would be perpetuated by the proposed construction."
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3.1.2 The most recent past application (10/00275/B) was similar to the current one. Approval was granted for the refurbishment of the existing garage and the erection of two pairs of lock of garages.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The proposal site is in an area designated in the Ramsey Local Plan 1998 as Predominantly Residential. The site is not within a Conservation Area.
4.2 Given the land use designation, General Policy 2 (in part) of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 applies "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."
4.3 Policy R/R/P3 of the Ramsey Local Plan, relates to the development of infill and backland sites, states: "Within areas zoned for Predominantly Residential use there will be a general presumption against the development of those sites which provide attractive, natural "breathing" spaces between established residential buildings. These sites will often include trees, mature landscaping, or simply green space. Any possible development of such site should form the subject of consultation with the Office of Planning prior to the submission of any application."
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 A comment has been received from the owners and occupants of Magnoila House, Grays Gardens (08.08.19), the key points can be summarised thus:
o Support the replacement of the existing garage and erection of the new garages; o The lower pitched roofs are welcome; o Garden of Magnolia House is directly to the rear of site; o Concerns surrounding water drainage and potential runoff onto Magnolia House - has been advised by architect that soakaways to be installed; o Concerns around the surface condition of the access lane.
5.2 DoI Highways agree with the principle of the garages being erected but object to the application due to the approximate width of the garages being 2.7m which is below the Manual for Manx Road requirement of 3.0m.
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of this application are the principle of such a development at this site, visual impacts of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area and the access and parking considerations.
6.2 Principle of the development
6.2.1 The majority of the site is undeveloped and is in an overgrown state. This has been the case for a number of years, and since the previous application in 2010. It appears to be informally used for parking. The site is zoned for residential use, and therefore the use of this area for residential garaging - an expansion from the existing single garage - would be in
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keeping with the land use designation and acceptable in principle subject to the considerations below.
6.3 Character and Appearance
6.3.1 The site is for the most part well screened from public view by the surrounding dwellings, only visible when stood directly adjacent to the site, along the access lane. The 2.5 metre height of the garage buildings would be low in relation to the surrounding houses and similar to those of the existing garages at the other side of the access lane. It is not considered likely that the garages would appear overly large or constitute an overdeveloped appearance of the site. This is partly due to the location of the site, and partly due to the proposed planting and 'green wall' part of the proposals which would further reduce the visual impact.
6.3.2 Policy R/R/P3 of the Ramsey Local Plan states that there is general presumptions against development on land within residential areas which provide an attractive, natural breathing spaces between establish residential buildings. The site itself does provide a visual break from the surrounding buildings at present, but is not in a prominent area, nor is there area of high quality character or 'attractive' appearance due to its location at the rear of dwellings. There is a more formal grass area immediately to the east of the site which forms more of a visual break than that site. The loss of an underused and overgrown area of land to garaging would not be considered to conflict with GP2 (b,c,g).
6.3.3 The existing garage is not considered a vital or beneficial part of the local built environment and its loss and replacement would not be considered to adversely affect the character and appearance of the area.
6.4 Highways and Parking
6.4.1 It is likely that the 6 garages on the site, with the potential for up to 6 cars within, would provide some reduction in demand for on-street parking in the area, although some may be used for residential storage purposes. Each space would be approximately 2.8mx6.2m which is slightly below the 3mx6m requirement of the manual for Manx Roads, the garage door widths of 2.2m would also be just under the 2.4m requirement. Were the garages to replace for example a residential driveway, it may be more necessary to require garage spaces 3m wide to reduce the risk of on-street parking. As the garages will likely be used for a mix of parking and storage however, the 2.7m dimensions are considered wide enough to be useable for both storage and for the parking of vehicles with occassional use such as classic cars.
6.3.2 In terms of access to and from the site, there were no issues raised by highways who note the lack of busy traffic on the road. Whilst DoI Highways object to the application due to the width of the garages, this is not considered a sufficient reason to render the application unacceptable for the reasons above. On balance, parking and access impacts are considered acceptable.
6.5 Other Matters
6.5.1 A condition restricting any commercial use of the garages should be added to ensure that the use of the site remains residential and appropriate to the nature of the area, and to reduce the likelihood of unacceptable levels of vehicle activity and noise impacting the surrounding dwellings.
6.5.2 The water drainage concerns raised by Magnolia House have been considered. Due to the slope of the site in the opposite direction (towards the lane), the use of permeable paving proposed, and the presence of planting on the site including along the boundary with Magnolia House, these concerns are not considered sufficient so as to be a reason for refusal.
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7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 In summary, the proposed garages are considered an acceptable use of a semi-vacant site. On balance, the proposal accords with the aforementioned policies and is recommended for approval subject to conditions concerning the use, and the planting on site.
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: 22.08.2019
Determining officer
Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett
Principal Planner
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