Planning Officer Report

Planning Officer Report And Recommendations {{table:328965}}

Officer's Report

The Site

1. The site is the residential curtilage of a single storey dwelling situated on the southern side of a cul de sac towards the southern end of Ballamaddrell, an estate of predominantly true bungalows with some dormer accommodation. The dwellings are all similar in style and finish and largely terraced properties. The predominant finish is yellow coloured facing stone, uPVC windows and doors and brown double Roman concrete tiles. Each property has a small front garden and a more private rear garden. Some of the front gardens have been hard surfaced and are used as car parking spaces: the application property formerly had a small front garden edged with a hedge.

1. The applicant has recently removed part of the hedge and the existing low fence and created an area of hardstanding and a ramped access onto the footway and the space is to be used for a car parking space. The space is 6m long and around 4m wide. The applicant's wife has limited mobility and he has explained that it is often difficult to find a parking space near the property on the street.

1. The two properties immediately to the east have similar parking areas in the front gardens and the property opposite has its entire front garden paved. None of these has the benefit of planning approval.

The Proposal

1. Proposed is retrospective permission for the creation of the parking area. A dropped kerb across the junction of the footway with the carriageway is also proposed and the applicant has discussed this with the Highway Authority prior to the submission of the application.

Planning Policy And Status

1. The site lies within an area designated as Residential on both the Port Erin Local Plan of 1990 and the draft Southern Area Plan of 2011.

1. As such, the provisions of General Policy 2 are applicable in this case:

"Development which is in accordance with the land use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:

b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the space around them; c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; i) does not have an adverse effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways."

Planning History

1. The property has not been the subject of any previous applications.

Representations

1. Highways Division and Port Erin Commissioners indicate that they do not oppose the application. Highways Division indicates that they wish for a condition to be attached to require the applicant to contact them regarding any work within the highway. This is not a planning matter and Highways Division should contact the applicant directly.

Assessment

1. Within the Ballamaddrell there are many examples of the provision of off-road parking through the hard surfacing of the front gardens or part thereof. Some properties have retained some green planted space and others have hard surfaced all of their frontage. The proposed parking area has the visual advantage of retained hedging which screens the parked vehicle and mitigates the potential impact of the hard surfacing. Even in the middle of a week day there were a significant number of vehicles parked on the street and as such it is easy to see why the applicant would wish to have parking available within this curtilage rather than relying on being able to find an on-street space.

Party Status

1. The local authority, Port Erin Commissioners are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.
2. The Department of Transport Highways and Traffic Division is now part of the Department of Infrastructure of which the planning authority is part. As such, the Highways and Traffic Division cannot be afforded party status in this instance.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 09.10.2012

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal

• : Notes attached to refusals

C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

C 2. This permission relates to the creation of off-road parking as shown and described in the plans and information received on 6th September, 2012.

C 3. The works must include the provision of a dropped kerb across the full width of the access into the parking space. This must be undertaken within three months of the date of this notice as it becomes final.

NOTE: The applicant should contact the Operations Section of the Department of Infrastructure in this respect.

I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control / Development Control Manager/ Senior Planning Officer.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 9/10/12

Determining officer (delete as appropriate)

Signed: Anthony Holmes Senior Planning Officer

Signed: Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control

Signed: Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer

Signed: Jennifer Chance Development Control Manager