DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 24/00478/C Applicant: Mr Paul Corteen Proposal: Change of Use from offices to dwelling. Site Address: 25 Hope Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 1AR Planning Officer: Peiran Shen Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 10.06.2024

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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposal complies with land use designation and does not have negative impact on the area nearby.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the documents and drawing no. 01, 02, 03 which have been received on 24th April 2024. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

- 1.0 THE SITE

Officer’s Report

1.1 The application site is 25 Hope Street, Douglas, a three-storey mid-terrace office building located on the southeast of Hope Street.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The planning application seeks approval for the change of use from office (use class

• 2.1) to a single dwellinghouse (use class 3.3). There will be a lounge, a kitchen and a toilet on the ground floor and three bedrooms on the rest of the floors. There will be two parking spaces at the back. It is also proposed to replace a door with a window and a window with a door on the rear elevation.
• 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 There is no previous application considered materially relevant to this application. - 4.0 Planning Policy Site Specific

4.1 The site is within an area designated as Mixed Use (St George's) in the Area Plan for the East.

4.2 The Written Statement states: "There will be a presumption in favour of offices and financial and professional services along Athol Street. Within the area, but outside of Athol Street, offices, financial and professional services, food and drink and some residential uses will also be acceptable. Uses which conflict with these will generally not be supported." Strategic Policy - 4.3 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application:

• o Strategic Policy 3, 5
• o General Policy 2 (b) (c) (g) (h) (i) (m) (n)
• o Housing Policy 17
• o Transport Policy 7
• o Appendix 7.6
• o Community Policy 7, 10 and 11
• o Infrastructure Policy 5

PPS and NPD

4.4 There is no Planning Policy Statement or National Policy Directive applicable to this application.

5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Strategy and Guidance

5.1 There is no strategy or guidance considered materially relevant to this application. - 6.0 REPRESENTATION

6.1 Douglas Borough Council does not object to this application (10.05.2024).

6.2 Highway Services do not oppose this application (03.05.2024). The comment states that there is no significant negative impact on highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. - 7.0 ASSESSMENT Elements of Assessment

7.1 The key issues to consider are the principle of the development, its impact on the user's amenities, neighbouring amenities, and highway and parking provisions. Principle of the Development

7.2 The site is within an area designated for Mixed Use. Therefore, the proposed use class 3.3 is considered acceptable. User Amenities

7.3 There is no objection from Douglas Borough Council so bin storage provision is considered acceptable. - 7.4 The proposed dwelling would have the typical outlook of a road, which is considered acceptable within a town centre. Neighbouring Amenities - 7.5 The proposal is within a mixed-use area and the proposed residential use will not generate more noise than the existing business and residence nearby so the impact on neighbours is considered acceptable. Traffic and Parking - 7.6 DoI Highway Services has no objection, so the impact on parking is considered acceptable.

- 8.0 CONCLUSION

8.1 The proposal complies with land use designation and does not have negative impact on the area nearby. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval. - 9.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

9.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land which the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material. 9.2 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 above who should be given Interested Person Status.

I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Director of Planning and Building Control 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 : 17.06.2024

Determining officer

Signed : J CHANCE Jennifer Chance

Director of Planning and Building Control

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