21 February 2020 · Planning Committee
Railway Station, Station Road, Port St Mary, Isle Of Man, IM9 5lf
The proposal involves converting the historic Port St Mary Railway Station building, registered as RB281, into a ground-floor museum with model railway, exhibition space, tea room, and passenger waiting area, plus first-floor offices, alongside parking provision between the station and goods shed.
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The officer considered the proposed uses (museum, tea room, exhibition, offices) appropriate for securing the future maintenance of the Registered Building (RB281), as the station has been unused for …
Strategic Policy 4
Requires proposals to protect or enhance Registered Buildings and their settings. Officer assessed that uses secure maintenance/investment, restorative changes preserve character, and conditioned parking avoids adverse impacts on station, goods shed, platforms.
Environment Policy 32
Prohibits extensions/alterations detrimental to Registered Building character. Assessed physical changes (mostly restorative) as acceptable, with glazed terrace on plain elevation not out of keeping despite modern materials.
Environment Policy 33
Permits change of use if appropriate and alterations non-detrimental to character. Ground-floor museum/café/waiting area complementary to railway theme; offices on upper floor minimal change, better than residential requiring more alterations.
Environment Policy 34
Prefers traditional materials for pre-1920 buildings. Not explicitly tested as changes restorative; modern glass/aluminium on least attractive elevation acceptable.
Business Policy 7
Permits offices exceptionally in historic buildings where most appropriate for securing future use. Offices comply as they enable renovation with minimal changes.
Transport Policy 3
New development must not compromise rail routes as tourism facilities. Uses complementary to railway; parking conditioned to protect platform character.
Transport Policy 7
Requires parking per standards (relaxable for Registered Buildings). 27 spaces excessive; conditioned to 19 with layout protecting heritage, resolving highway manoeuvrability.
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.
Parking layout approval
No approval is granted to the parking layout shown in drawing 19/06/06. Prior to the use of the building as approved, a plan showing a parking layout for a reduced number of car parking spaces (19 or thereabouts) must be approved by the Department, where there are no spaces introduced BETWEEN the goods shed AND THE RAILWAY STATION and measures for the prevention of parking in this area as well as how the parking spaces will be arranged without adversely affecting the historic and architectural character of railway station, goods shed, loading platform and platform itself all of which are considered to be Registered must be included and the development must be undertaken in accordance with these details and retained as such. Reason: the buildings on the site are Registered and the provision of car parking, whilst serving the proposed use, should not adversely affect the character or interest of these buildings.
Bat survey
No development, including internal alterations shall commence until a bat survey has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. The bat survey shall identify impacts on bat species together with mitigation, where appropriate, including a timetable for its implementation. The development shall not be carried out unless in accordance with the approved details. Reason: To provide adequate safeguards for the bats.
Office use class clarification
The office use hereby approved may constitute either Class 2 or Class 4 in Schedule 4 of the Town and County Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012. Reason: to clarify the extent of the approval.
no objection
welcomes and supports proposals for the railway station building
satisfied with proposals for station building, welcomes new uses and passenger waiting area
Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society continues to object to parking between the station and goods shed despite removal of goods shed proposals, while supporting station conversion; DEFA Ecosystems requests bat and bird surveys; Highways requests parking layout amendments; Port St Mary Commissioners and others raise no objections.
Key concern: parking between station and goods shed breaking visual link and group value of registered buildings
Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society
ObjectionContinues to object to the plans for motor vehicle parking occupying the whole space between the Railway Station and the Goods Shed.; The comments in the Society's original submission (Consultation 2 dated 20th November 2019) concerning the impact of such intrusive parking breaking the link between the Station and Goods Shed still stand.
Conditions requested: re-instatement of the picket fence in the location when the Station was operating (as seen in the photograph in Society's 20th November 2019 submission, with the picket fence to the South of where the tracks emerge from the Eastern end of the Goods Shed)
DEFA Ecosystems
Conditional No ObjectionOur comments from the 17th November 2019 with regard to this application remain valid.; In order to comply with the Wildlife Act 1990 and Environment Policy 4 the Ecosystem Policy Team requests that an ecological assessment for bats and birds is undertaken.
Conditions requested: ecological assessment for bats and birds is undertaken; Bat surveys should be undertaken in accordance with the Bat Conservation Trusts Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists - Good Practice Guidelines (3rd Edition 2016); Should bats or birds be found then a mitigation plan for their protection should be submitted
Department of Infrastructure Highways
Conditional No ObjectionThe proposed development remains acceptable in principle, based on the extant position albeit not exercised as a result of planning application 16/00535/B.; In order to be supportive of this application, the parking layout must reflect the latest guidance.
Conditions requested: parking layout must reflect the latest guidance; parking layout be amended to accommodate 27 no 5.0m x 2.5m parking spaces; aisle be extended at least 1.0m further towards the railway line to allow vehicles to reverse out of the two spaces and face the exit; relocating two spaces further west beyond the 3 trees identified on plan 19/06/06
Port St Mary Commissioners
No ObjectionThere were no objections
Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters Association
ObjectionThe Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters Association would like to object to the planning application to convert Port St.Mary Goods Shed; IoMSRSA is satisfied with this latest proposal by Haven Homes for the Station Building itself
