Removal of front door and replacement of ground floor shopfront fenestration

Refusal Reasons

• ✗The proposed replacement shopfront would remove the street-facing entrance and introduce a fully frosted, seamless glazed frontage, resulting in a dead frontage that erodes the established pattern of active frontages along Bucks Road. The design fails to respect the architectural rhythm of the terrace and the proportional relationship between the ground and upper floors, contrary to General Policy 2(b, c, d) and Strategic Policy 3 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, which require development to respect and enhance local character and integrate successfully with its surroundings.
• ✗The proposal introduces a fully frosted, seamless glazed frontage without a street-facing door, creating an inert treatment that disrupts the established pattern of active frontages along Bucks Road. While modern shopfronts exist in the wider area, these retain street-facing doors and visual permeability. The presence of modern interventions does not justify further erosion of character, particularly where the scheme fails to align with the principles of Planning Circular 7/89 (Shop Fronts), which require respect for scale, rhythm, and openness. The proposal therefore fails to maintain the sense of engagement expected in commercial streets, contrary to General Policy 2(b, c) and Strategic Policy 3.
• ✗The site lies immediately adjacent to a designated Conservation Area. The removal of the entrance door and introduction of a fully frosted, seamless pane would create a discordant element that interrupts the established rhythm of the terrace and diminishes the architectural integrity of the street edge. The proposal therefore fails to preserve the setting of the Conservation Area and conflicts with Environment Policy 36, which requires development near Conservation Areas to avoid detriment to important views into or out of the Conservation Area.