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                                      24/00264/CON                                     Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No. : 24/00264/CON Applicant : Mrs Kirsty Guy (nee McHarrie) Proposal : Registered building consent for internal alterations and roof vent (retrospective) - RB 184 Site Address : 2 Church Cottage St Marks Ballasalla Isle Of Man IM9 3AH

Technical Officer: Thomas Sinden Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level :

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 08.05.2024 __

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

N 1. The applicant and any future property owner are urged to consider replacing the cement- based external render with a breathable material in order to allow moisture within the walls to escape externally and to prevent future damp problems.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. As the historic roof and historic wall finish of the building had already been replaced at the time of registration, the addition of a roof vent tile and internal tanking are judged to meet the tests of Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 as the building's special interest is being preserved. The proposals are also judged to meet the tests of Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 32 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and Planning Policy Statement 1/01, as the building's historic form and historic special interest is being protected and preserved. The application is therefore considered to be acceptable.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the application information received on 14th March 2024. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

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1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is 2 Church Cottage, St Mark's (registered building 184). Now two separate dwellings, the building was historically three separate cottages. In 1846, Reverend Clark instigated the rebuilding of the former school into two church cottages in order to generate rents to help maintain the new schoolhouse and chapel. A third cottage, south of the first two, was added in 1899 by Bishop Straton. 2 Church Cottage is formed of one of the 1846 cottages and the 1899 cottage.

1.2 Although the cottages retain much of their historic appearance, their plan form, roof finish, wall finish, doors and windows have been replaced as part of the conversion to a single dwelling in 1981. Consent was granted to convert the single dwelling in to two dwellings in 2000. The cottages form a strong grouping with the adjacent church (RB182) and school house (RB181) in the centre of the St Mark's Conservation Area.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks registered building consent to install a roof vent tile and to undertake insulation and tanking to two external walls and the ground floor. The proposed works within this application are retrospective.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY 3.1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions (3) In considering - (b) whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the relevant Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

3.2 National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;

Environment Policy 32: Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted.

Environment Policy 34: In the maintenance, alteration or extension of pre-1920 buildings,the use of traditional materials will be preferred.

Environment Policy 35: Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development.

3.3 Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man

POLICY RB/3 POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 Application 00/01825/B approved the conversion of the single dwelling into two separate dwellings. Since 2000, various applications have been submitted and approved for replacement windows and doors, and the installation of satellite dishes and a flue.

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5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Malew Commissioners have stated that they have no objections to the application (4.4.2024).

6.0 ASSESSMENT Statutory Test 6.1 Section 16 of the Act requires that when considering whether to grant registered building consent, the Department must "have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses."

6.2 As mentioned in 1.2, the building has been the subject of numerous alterations, including the replacement of the historic Manx slate roof and the historic lime-wash wall finish. The addition of a roof vent tile is considered to be so modest as to cause no significant harm to the building's special interest. This application seeks consent for the tanking of two external walls and the ground floor. It is understood to be the case that the external walls of the building were rendered with a cement-based render during the conversion to a single dwelling in 1981. As a traditionally constructed solid stone wall, the finish of the wall needs to be breathable in order to allow any moisture within the wall to escape. The sand-cement render external finish will not be allowing moisture to escape, and therefore damp will be appearing on the internal face of the external walls. The tanking that has been applied to the building will prevent damp escaping internally, however it will result in the moisture within the wall being trapped and remaining in the wall. The solution to the damp issue is to re-render the external walls in a breathable material that would allow any moisture to escape externally. However, as the external render was in place at the time of registration, it is not judged reasonable to require this work to be done as part of this current application. A note will be added to any approval that emphasises the need to re-render the external walls of the building in a breathable material at the next available opportunity. Given the condition of the building at the time of registration, the works within this application are not considered to impact the building's remaining architectural and historic special interest, and therefore the building's special interest is judged to be preserved.

Policy Tests 6.3 As mentioned in 6.2 above, the building has been the subject of various alterations both prior to and since its registration. The historic roof finish had been replaced with a natural welsh slate roof prior to registration. With this in mind, the installation of a roof vent tile is considered to not impact the building's architectural or historic special interest. In addition to this, given the scale of the intervention, the roof tile vent is also considered to have no negative impact on the special character of the conservation area or the character of the locality.

6.4 As discussed in 6.2, a cement-based render had been applied to the external walls prior to registration. This has prevented moisture within the wall from escaping externally, and has resulted in areas of damp internally. The applicant has tanked two of the external walls, and the floor, in order to stop damp ingress internally. Whilst this will probably work in the short term, any moisture in the external walls will now be trapped. The long-term solution to this issue is to re-render the external walls, and possibly repoint them as well, with a breathable material that will allow moisture to escape externally. Unfortunately the inappropriate external wall finish was in place at the time of registration, and it is not therefore considered reasonable to require the removal as part of this application. A note will be added to any approval that emphasises the need to re-render the external walls of the building in a breathable material at the next available opportunity. Given the alterations to the historic fabric that had already taken place at the time of registration, it is considered that the tanking works are judged to protect and preserve the building's special interest.

7.0 CONCLUSION

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7.1 As the historic roof and historic wall finish of the building had already been replaced at the time of registration, the addition of a roof vent tile and internal tanking are judged to meet the tests of Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 as the building's special interest is being preserved. The proposals are also judged to meet the tests of Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 32 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and Planning Policy Statement 1/01, as the building's historic form and historic special interest is being protected and preserved. The application is therefore recommended for approval.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013 (As Amended), the following are automatically interested persons:

o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; o Manx National Heritage, and o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

8.2 In addition to those above, the Regulation 9(3) requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application. __

I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Acting Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 10.05.2024

Determining officer

Signed : A MORGAN Abigail Morgan

Acting Head of Development Management

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