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19/00524/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 19/00524/B Applicant : Neil Reilly & Angelina Bell Proposal : Alterations and installation of rear dormer and decking Site Address : 8 Marathon Avenue Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4HZ
Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken : 11.06.2019 Site Visit : 11.06.2019 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.07.2019 __
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. Notwithstanding drawing number 1457.11 (date stamped as having been received 08/05/19) prior to the development hereby approved being brought into use, timber fencing shall be erected to fill the gap on the existing hedge with neighbouring property at No.6 Marathon Avenue to a minimum height of 1.8 metres and no more than 2 metres. The fencing shall be retained as such thereafter.
Reason: To safeguard the amenities of adjoining occupiers from overlooking and loss of privacy.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the Location plan, drawing numbers 1457.10, 1457.11 date stamped and received 8 May 2019. __
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
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matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are mentioned in Article 6(4):
No. 6 Marathon Avenue as they satisfy all requirements of paragraph 2 of the Department's Operational Policy on Interested Person Status (JULY 2018). __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of 8 Marathon Avenue, Douglas. The existing dwelling is located on the east of Marathon Avenue, on the right as one enters Marathon Avenue via Princess Road. This property is situated exactly 113m west of Marathon Court which is located on Victoria Road.
1.2 The property is a three storey dwelling with spar dash rendered walling and a tiled roof and an attached garage. The frontage of the property is walled with a 700mm brick dwarf fence which is connected to masonry gate posts with cap, located at both ends of the driveway into the property.
1.3 The character of the street scene is made up of a mixture of terraced, semi-detached and detached properties styled bungalows with steeply pitched roofs and chimneys, some of which have attic floors equipped with roof lights. Each property is set back from the highways with gardens to the front and off road parking, although on-street parking is common on the avenue.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1. The application seeks approval for alterations and installation of rear dormer and decking. These works will comprise a number of alterations to the existing property in order to facilitate an increase to the living accommodation currently available in the roof space, in addition to providing a new decking built over the existing patio at the rear of the property.
2.2 The first set of works will involve the installation of a timber pitched dormer built off existing steel purlin set back from the roof gable to the rear elevation and three roof lights in the front elevation and rear elevation of the dwelling. This dormer would run 2.2m from the ridge cap and extend towards the rear gable of the property. These works will enable the conversion of the attic space to a Master bedroom, provided with an ensuite dormer bathroom to serve the Master bedroom.
2.3 The application also proposes alterations which will involve the construction of a raised deck over the existing patio at the rear of the property which will connect to the rear garden space. This raised deck will be 2.8m wide and 8.1m long; made up of timer and composite plastic material. The decking area will be level with the ground floor of the dwelling. Garden steps will be built on the rear and left side elevation of the decking to facilitate access to the rear garden.
2.4 The dwelling will be connected to the raised deck via a thermally broken upvc safety glazed central door with chamfered threshold and weather bar built to replace the existing bay windows at the rear elevation. 2.5 It is worth noting that the installation of the roof lights is covered by the Permitted Development Order and as such will not form part of the assessment for the application.
PLANNING POLICY 3.1 In terms of local plan policy, the application site is within an area recognised as being predominantly residential use under the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998 (Map 2 - South).
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3.2 Due to the land use designation, General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 applies (in part). "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;"
4.3 It is also important to have regard to Paragraph 8.12.1 of the Strategic Plan: "As a general policy, in built up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general."
4.4 Sections of the Residential Design Guide 2019 will also be vital in the assessment of the application. 4.4.1 Subsection 4.6.1 states that: Dormer extensions are often problematic as they can adversely affect the character and appearance of both the individual property and the wider street scene. Unless they are for non- habitable rooms such as bathrooms with obscured glazing, they can also create overlooking. They are unlikely to be supported where they are publically visible, unless they already form a positive characteristic of the property or street scene.
4.4.2 Subsection 4.6.3: The position within the roof plane, size and proportion are also important aspects to consider. The size of any dormer should be secondary to the size of the roof in which it will be positioned. Therefore, dormers that would be as wide as the house and run flush or close to the elevations/roof ridge of the house will not normally be supported.
4.5 Section 4.7 RDG, 2019 These can add a welcome amenity to a dwelling as long as the scale, design and materials complement the character of the property, whether it is traditional or modern.
4.5.1 Subsection 4.7.2 In most instances, roof terraces on terraced or semi-detached properties are unlikely to be acceptable. For detached properties they can be acceptable where they are carefully designed to avoid unreasonable overlooking of neighbouring properties (including gardens). Large separation distances to neighbouring boundaries and habitable room windows will help to avoid such issues. Strategically placed solid screens/obscure glazed screens/slatted shutter screens may sometimes help where it is not otherwise possible to avoid overlooking. However, the use of such screens needs to be combined with careful design as such screening may result in a loss of light and/or be an overbearing and dominating feature to the outlook of the neighbouring properties/street scene. Balconies should not result in views into the rear windows of neighbouring properties at a distance of less than 20 metres.
4.5.2 Subsection 4.7.4 Raised decking, terraces or patios that are higher than 0.3 metres require a specific planning approval. It is a requirement to ensure that neighbours' privacy is maintained by installing screening (fence, hedge etc.) that reaches the height of 1.8m above ground level. Screening will only be appropriate if it does not cause loss of light and/or be overbearing to an adjoining property. These areas should be designed sensibly in order to avoid dominance at the front
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boundary of a property. Large areas of decking are unlikely to be supported at the side or front of a property.
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The application site has not been the subject of any previous planning applications, and as such there are no previous applications materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning 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 there is no highways interest in the letter dated 21 June 2019.
5.2 Douglas Corporation has indicated that they have no objections to the planning application in a letter dated 31 May 2019.
5.3 The Owner of 6 Marathon Avenue, Douglas, the abutting property to the south west of the application site have stated that they object to the application and have made the following comments in a letter dated 29 May 2019: Our only objection to this application is the privacy aspect to our property especially our living room bay window due to the close proximity and depth of the proposed decking.
ASSESSMENT 6.1 In considering an extension such as this in a residential area, it is important to have specific regard to potential impacts on neighbours and their amenity, and the appearance of both the site itself and the street scene or character of the area.
6.2 Impact on Neighbours 6.2.1 The key considerations in terms of impact on neighbours are risks of overshadowing and/or overlooking and loss of privacy to dwellings within 20 metres. This is set out in detail in the Planning Directorate's recently published Residential Design Guidance (March 2019); where raised decking higher than 0.3m would increase the risk of overlooking and loss of privacy is exacerbated. In this case, the building most likely to be impacted when looking from the proposed decking would be No. 6 Marathon Avenue; immediately adjacent to the rear. It is considered however that if a 2m wooden fence is installed along the boundary to fill the gap not covered by the existing 2m hedge along that boundary; in accordance with paragraph 4.7.4 of the RDG 2019, that privacy concern raised by the neighbour will be ameliorated. It is, however, worth noting that the applicant has confirmed in writing that they are installing a 2m fence along the aforementioned section of the fence with the neighbour (after consultations with the affected neighbour).
6.2.3 Similarly, the proposed dormer at the rear will not create significant impacts on the neighbours. This is hinged on the fact that the dormer will serve a toilet which is a non- habitable room and as such complies with section 7.2 of the RDG 2019.
6.3 Impact on Appearance of the Dwelling and the Street Scene 6.3.1 The main consideration here would be the possible impacts on the appearance of the dwelling itself, and what impact, if any, it would have on the appearance of the area. It is considered that the proposed terrace and dormer would have no visual impact upon the amenities of the street scene, given the works are located to the rear of the site. As well, the design and finish of the proposals are in keeping with the existing property and with the area, making it an appropriate form of development.
CONCLUSION
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7.1 Overall it is considered that the proposal complies with the aforementioned parts of the RDG and Environment Policy 2 of the IOM Strategic Plan and therefore recommended for approval. 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 : 04.07.2019
Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
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