365395

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                                                 25/00780/CON                                      Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 25/00780/CON Applicant : Department Of Infrastructure Proposal : Registered building consent for external refurbishment works of property - RB 239 Site Address : Jurby Watch Office Jurby Industrial Estate Jurby Isle Of Man IM7 3BD

Technical Officer: Tom Sinden Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 06.10.2025 __

Conditions and Notes for Approval C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.

Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.

N . For the avoidance of doubt, no approval is hereby given for any works to the windows in the Watch Office or Control Office. If, during the course of undertaking the concrete repair works approved within this application, it becomes apparent that repairs to the windows and/or their surrounds is required, then the Department's Building Conservation team should be contacted prior to any works being commenced.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The application is judged to meet the statutory test within section 16 of the Act as the overall special architectural and historic interest of the building is being preserved. The proposals are also considered to accord with strategic policy 4 and environment policy 32 as the overall special architectural and historic interest of the registered building would be protected and preserved. Although additional detailing is proposed to the base of the handrails, this element would be entirely reversible, and would not remove any historic fabric. As this detail is intended to preserve the historic fabric beneath, the proposed additional detail is judged to be acceptable. The application is therefore judged to be acceptable.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to drawings 01, 02, 03, 04A, 05A, 06B and 07A, together with the schedule of works and concrete repair details submitted on 11.8.2025.

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                                                 25/00780/CON                                      Page  2  of  4

__ Interested Person Status

The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department (in this instance the Ecosystems Policy Officer) make comments in a professional capacity they cannot be given Interested Party Status.

The resident of 49 Derby Road made comments that do not comply with the Operational Policy, and therefore should not be awarded Interested Party Status. __

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE

1.1 The site is the Watch Office at Jurby Airfield, registered building 239 and sometimes referred to as Jurby Terminal Building. The building was constructed in 1942 as part of the RAF operations at Jurby. Although the building is one of approximately 80 such examples constructed during World War Two, Jurby is one of only three to retain the historic form and style of its first and second floor principal windows (those overlooking the airfield).

2.0 THE PROPOSAL

2.1 The application seeks registered building consent for refurbishment works to the building including the replacement of the roofing membrane, repairs to balustrade guardings and repairs to the concrete structure.

3.0 PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY

3.1 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.

3.2 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 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions (3) In considering - (a) whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting, or (b) whether to grant registered building consent for any works,

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                                                 25/00780/CON                                      Page  3  of  4

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.

5.0 PLANNING HISTORY

5.1 There are various applications including this building that relate to the use of the airfield itself, and are not judged relevant to this application for registered building consent. The only application proposing works to the building itself is 03/00714/B, which proposed alterations and refurbishment of the control tower annex. This application was permitted on 22.8.2003.

6.0 REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 DEFA Ecosystems Policy Team have made comments highlighting the proximity of the Jurby Airfield ASSI, and that the applicants should avoid damaging this area during construction (19.8.2025).

6.2 Jurby Parish Commissioners and Manx National Heritage were consulted on 12.8.2025. At the time of writing this report (6.10.2025), no comments have been received from these bodies and it is therefore assumed that there are no objections to the proposals.

6.3 Resident of Derby Square, Douglas - Makes comments that they believe the proposed works to be positive (16.8.2025).

7.0 ASSESSMENT

Statutory Test 7.1 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." In this instance, the application proposes to undertake repairs and refurbishment works to the building's roof, balcony guardings and structural concrete. Following a site visit with the applicant and discussions with the structural engineer involved in designing the repair works, it is clear that the intention within this application is to repair damaged historic fabric in a manner that is appropriate and sympathetic to the building's heritage. With this in mind, I judge that the application meets the statutory test of preserving the building and its elements of special interest.

Policy Tests 7.2 As with section 7.1 above, the proposed repairs and refurbishment works have clearly been designed with the intension of preserving the building's historic interest. The existing roofing membrane is not historic, and therefore the replacement in the manner proposed is judged to be something that would preserve the special interest. The guardings to the balcony, roof and steps are proposed to be replaced where the existing elements have perished in a like for like manner. As with the roofing membrane, this element of the proposals is judged to preserve the building's special interest. The proposed concrete repair works would seek to repair both loose concrete and damaged steel rebar. The methodology generally intends to retain the form and material build-up of the damaged concrete, and in this respect I judge this to be something that would preserve the building's special interest.

7.3 In addition to the repair and refurbishment works assessed in 7.2 above, the application proposes to apply a revised detail for the base of the handrails in order to reduce the prospect of water ingress. This would introduce a small upstand over the existing concrete deck into which the handrail bases would be fixed. Although this proposal is a departure from the building's historic detailing, the proposal would be reversible and does not propose the removal of any historic fabric. Given that the purpose of the revised detail is to preserve the historic fabric below, I judge that this proposed additional detail is something that would preserve the special architectural and historic interest of the building.

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                                                 25/00780/CON                                      Page  4  of  4

8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The application is judged to meet the statutory test within section 16 of the Act as the overall special architectural and historic interest of the building is being preserved. The proposals are also considered to accord with strategic policy 4 and environment policy 32 as the overall special architectural and historic interest of the registered building would be protected and preserved. Although additional detailing is proposed to the base of the handrails, this element would be entirely reversible, and would not remove any historic fabric. As this detail is intended to preserve the historic fabric beneath, the proposed additional detail is judged to be acceptable. The application is therefore recommended for approval.

9.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 9.1 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.

9.2 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.

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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 and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded interested person status and/or rights to appeal.

Decision Made : Permitted

Date: 06.10.2025

Determining Officer

Signed : C BALMER

Chris Balmer

Principal Planner

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