Statement

PLANNING STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE REMOVAL OF EXISTING GENERATORS AND USE OF SITE FOR CAR PARKING,

Aerial photograph of the site as it currently exists

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 1 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 1.0 INTRODUCTION
• 1.1 The site is a small area of land which fronts Lord Street with its eastern side abutting a land running north west to the rear of 1-9, Heywood House and The Cornerhouse. To the south of the site is the former power station building and to the west is an open area which is used as a car park.
• 1.2 The entrance into the site is from Lord Street, shared with the car park which is owned by the applicant, Manx Utilities.
• 1.3 The site presently accommodates a sub station and generators and coolers which were installed in 2011 in the area that was formerly part of the car park (see photos below). The generators were required in connection with the use of Heywood House by WiManx as a data centre.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 2 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 3 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 2.0 THE PROPOSAL
• 2.1 Proposed is the removal of the cooling equipment and generators and the return of the site for car parking. The aerial photograph above demonstrates how the site was used previously with two rows of car parking spaces opposite each other. The attached plan shows how the site could also be arranged to accord with more up to date standards for car parks.
• 2.2 The adjacent Heywood House is no longer used as a data centre and as such the equipment is no longer needed and will be repurposed in different locations. The site would return to car parking associated with businesses in the surrounding area.
• 2.3 Part of the brick wall which was erected to screen the equipment will be removed and the sloping area to the south of the generators will be adjusted to make the area level and increasing slightly the area available for car parking.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 4 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 3.0 PLANNING POLICY

Area Plan for the East 2020

• 3.1 The site is designated on the Area Plan for the East as Mixed Use and within an area entitled “The Quayside”.
• 3.2 The Written Statement accompanying the application describes mixed use areas as follows:

9.11.2 Development types within areas of mixed use generally comprise a variety of different but compatible uses. Appropriate new uses may include a mix of shops and some services (financial and professional), food and drink, office and light industry, research and development, tourist and residential uses, and other uses such as clinics or health centres, childcare or education, community facilities, and places of assembly and leisure. Uses which are not compatible with residential development will generally not be supported within the areas of mixed use.

• 3.3 The Written Statement also refers to this mixed use area and includes the following Proposal:

Town Centre – Mixed Use Proposal 7 There will be a presumption in favour of food and drink and other leisure-type uses on North Quay. There will be a presumption in favour of the comprehensive re-development of the southern side of the quay, including the potential re-positioning of the highway of South Quay between Old Castletown Road and Fort Anne Road, for new uses in the following categories:

• • Tourism
• • Offices
• • Food and Drink
• • Leisure
• • Reception and function venues
• • Business hubs/share-service offices
• • Residential uses at first floor level and above.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 5 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 3.4 The site is not within a Conservation Area but abuts the Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area which was adopted in 2007:
• 3.5 The North Quay Conservation Area adopted in 1990 lies to the south:

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 6 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016

• 3.6 The Strategic Plan states that a balance needs to be struck between providing the required amount of car parking but not sterilising development sites and ensuring that an active frontage is provided within our settlements. It states:

11.5.3 The long term target is to reduce the level of car parking required for town centre developments and seek to develop more sustainable staff and visitor transport plans including improved public transport, staff buses, shared and pooled cars, cycling and walking. Consideration should be given to the provision of cycle parking for staff and customers in non-residential development and to the provision of secure cycle stores in apartments. In the shorter term, the Department proposes the following general policy in respect of parking provision.

Transport Policy 7: The Department will require that in all new development, parking provision must be in accordance with the Department’s current standards.

• 3.7 Development adjacent to Conservation Areas should not detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Conservation Area (Environment Policy 36) and should not affect the fabric and setting of Conservation Areas (Strategic Policy 4). The Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area Appraisal does not identify key views and does not refer to this site but identifies the Cornerhouse former public house as one of the three buildings on the corner of Lord Street.
• 3.8 Development is expected to meet the criteria set out in General Policy 2:

General Policy 2: 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:

• (a) is in accordance with the design brief in the Area Plan where there is such a brief;
• (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;
• (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape;

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 7 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• (d) does not adversely affect the protected wildlife or locally important habitats on the site or adjacent land, including water courses;
• (e) does not affect adversely public views of the sea;
• (f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks;
• (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 unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways;
• (j) can be provided with all necessary services;
• (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan;
• (l) is not on contaminated land or subject to unreasonable risk of erosion or flooding;
• (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and
• (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption.

3.9 Development is expected to have an acceptable impact on the highway network and the safety of pedestrians (Transport Policies 4 and 6).

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 8 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY
• 4.1 The generators and cooling equipment were approved under 10/01528/B.
• 4.2 The adjacent car park was the subject of a recent application for alterations to the access and egress - 21/01528/B - permitted. This replaced the former access into the car park which was approved under 04/01275/B.

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 9 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 5.0 Conclusion
• 5.1 The proposal will return the site more or less to its former appearance and to its previous function, prior to the approved installation of gas cooling equipment and generators. The officer at the time of that application expressed some concern about the visual impact of the equipment

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 10 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C

• 5.2 That application included the erection of a brickwork wall along Lord Street and returning into the site. It is proposed to remove a section of that wall to enable access and egress but there will be a short section retained which will screen the parked vehicles slightly more than was the case prior to the installation of the equipment in 2011.
• 5.3 Whilst there is a general concern about surface level car parks within the capital which could prejudice the redevelopment of such sites, this site and adjacent car park are not identified as a Comprehensive Treatment Area and as such, there is policy presumption for the removal of this car park. This is confirmed by the recent approval for the replacement of the entrance gates to provide additional security.
• 5.4 The proposed car park will once again be part of the overall car parking area which is in the same ownership and arguably will have an improved visual impact for the area which abuts two Conservation Areas. The car parking will complement that available alongside and will once again be available for any occupants of Heywood House, should this need arise.
• 5.5 The car park is now arranged to provide safe access for pedestrians coming to and leaving the car park and what is proposed will not affect this.

Sarah Corlett 21.10.24

Sarah Corlett Town Planning Consultancy Ltd 11 Registered address: Ballachrink Croft, Ballacorey Road, Bride, Isle of Man IM7 4AW t: 07624 485517 e: [email protected] w: www.sarahcorlett.com Directors: Sarah Elizabeth Corlett Nicola Jane Corlett

Company Registration 134325C