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The site forming the subject of this planning application is a two storey stone built property directly abutting Water Street in the centre of Ramsey Town. The building has plain rendered and painted wall surfaces and a slate covered pitched roof. The building is situated within a Conservation Area and accommodation within the building currently comprises of two small shop units and a two Bedroom, self-contained apartment which is set at first floor level over te two shop units ad also incorporates the roof space of the property. As well as the existing building abutting Water Street, there is a courtyard development within a perimeter walled enclosure and this development contains a further two shop units at ground floor level and a one Bedroom self-contained apartment above one of the shop units. There is an external balcony for use with the apartment and this is set wholly over one of the ground floor shop units and runs back towards the main buildings at the front of the site. The internal courtyard is block paved and access is directly through a covered walkway to Water Street. Wall finishes to all buildings within this rear development are plain rendered and painted surfaces with a pitched, slate roof set over the self-contained apartment.
The site for proposed works has a pedestrian access directly from Water Street and has an entrance Porch, a room at the front of the building used for retail purposes with an opening towards the rear of this room leading in to a workroom and kitchen. The kitchen is fitted out with units including a sink and cooker. Adjacent to the workroom, and down two steps, is a separate lobby leading to a w.c. with wash basin and a small utility area with a sink unit. There is also secure cupboard storage space within this area. A new floor has previously been fitted through the workroom and the floor level is set to the same level as the front area utilised as a shop unit. A lean-to pitched, slate roof is laid over the workroom.
Within the shop unit is a vertically proportioned timber double glazed window some 900 m wide. The unit has a separate electricity supply and an existing independent gas fired central heating system.
This part of the building was originally living accommodation used by previous owners who had a family electrical business with a linking door in the entrance Porch which gave access via a number of steps leading down into the shop unit. The rooms at this level forming the shop unit were used as a Sitting Room and kitchen.
Between the shop unit proposed for conversion and the new development within the courtyard, there is a large, gated yard containing bin spaces for all the units. There is also a separate electricity meter cupboard housing all the meters for each unit, a separate boiler room and some general storage space within the yard for bicycles etc...
There is no off-street car parking associated with the site but the building is situated within the Town Centre and has easy access to public parking on the former Plaza site in Waterloo Road, College Street car park at the rear of St.Pauls Square, the Market Place Car park which is in close proximity to the site and there is also on-street car parking within the Regeneration Area in this part of the Town. Should approval be granted for this change of use application into a residential unit, a parking permit could be obtained from the Highway Department for any occupant to park nearby on the public highway. Should the unit be converted into residential usage, it may be that the occupant would live and work in Ramsey and might not have a requirement for a vehicle. For public transport, there is a bus stop opposite the old Plaza site in front of the Britannia Hotel.
Two sheets of colour photographs are attached at APPENDIX 1 showing the existing buildings standing on site with some taken from the adjacent car par (not in Applicants ownership) and some taken from within the site in the rear courtyard.
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PAGE 1 IMAGES MARKED A, C AND D TAKEN FROM ADJACENT PRIVATE CAB PARK WITH IMAGE B TAKEN FROM WATER STREET.
ALL IMAGES SHOW GABLE END OF 3 WATER STREET WITH INTERMEDIATE BLOCKWORK WALL AND BUILDING AT LOWER END OF COURTYARD. UPPER LEVEL ON IMAGE D SHOWING 2ND. PITCHED ROOF DORMERS IS EXISTING ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT.
PAGE 2 IMAGES MARKED E, F & G SHOW BEAR OF 3 WATER STREET ABUTTING NEIGHBOURING PROPERTY (IMAGE E) MAGNIC BUILDINGS.
IMAGES F & G. SHOW BEAR WALL OF 3 WATER STREET TOGETHER WITH LEAN TO ROOF WHERE PROPOSED BEDROOM & BATHROOM WOULD BE SITUATED. END OF BALCONY WALL SEEN ON LEFT HAND SIDE OF IMAGES F & G.
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The proposal seeks to gain planning approval for the conversion of the existing shop unit and workroom into a one Bedroom self-contained apartment and, as part of the proposal, a new staircase would be installed together with a small extension at first floor level to provide a new Bedroom and Bathroom at the upper level to the rear.
The entrance Porch would remain in the same location and access would still be through the entrance door abutting Water Street. The ground floor shop unit would be used as a Living Room and the rear part of the building, currently the workroom and kitchen, would be retained for use as a kitchen. Within this room, there would be a new staircase fitted with a stud wall alongside and the staircase would provide access up to the first floor extension. The separate w.c. facility, small utility area and cupboard storage would all be left as existing.
At first floor level, the lean-to roof over the current workroom and kitchen would be removed and a new timber framed extension would be constructed over the workroom and part of the open rear yard. The extension would be some 5.000 metres long beyond the new staircase and 3.750 metres wide. The extension would be a lightweight timber framed structure with a new floor, external walls would be clad with a waterproof mesh system to receive a plain cement render finish which would then be painted to match the existing building. The proposed extension would be covered with a pitched, slated roof on roof trusses and this would also match with the main building at 3 Water Street and the self-contained apartment in the rear courtyard development.
All windows within the proposed extension would face into the site and would not overlook the neighbouring car park which is not in the ownership of the Applicant. The gable end wall of the proposed extension abuts the external balcony area used by the occupant of the one Bedroom self-contained apartment at the rear and no windows would be placed in this wall to ensure privacy is maintained for the current occupant adjacent to their outside amenity space.
As part of the proposal, an external door has been shown within the new Bedroom and this would lead out on to a small external balcony area. The balcony would serve a dual purpose with one being as an alternative means of escape in case of fire and the other, to provide an area of external private amenity space for the use of any occupants of the proposed living accommodation. As the gable end of the proposed extension covers all of the side of the abutting balcony area for the existing one Bedroom apartment, the proposed new balcony would not be able to overlook this balcony but would be facing towards the open courtyard space between existing shops at the ground floor level.
The conversion of existing shop unit together with the proposed Bedroom and Bathroom extension would ultimately be reverting back to the original use of this part of the building as living accommodation.
The site lies within an existing Conservation Area and is designated as Town Centre mixed use. The site currently comprises of six individual letting units with four shops at ground floor level and two self-contained apartments at first floor level. The building is situated in the centre of the Town within easy walking distance for all shops and other local leisure amenity activities.
The shop unit proposed for conversion has a small retail footprint, the main room is only 4.360 metres long \times 2.790 metres wide, the location of the current shop unit also means that the entrance door to the shop is set around the corner in Water Street and is not visible from Parliament Street or the main shopping area. It does not have the benefit either of a large display shop window but instead has a smaller "domestic" type window and the appearance of the building from outside is certainly more "residential" than retail outlet.
Most of the footfall is within the main shopping area at Parliament Street and, although this small development contains four shop nits and two apartments, the shop unit forming te subject of this planning application is the only one without a proper shop front and display area for any business tenants.
The shop unit as had a number of occupants over the years ranging from various different hairdressing salons, which was the main use of the building after having been converted from residential, a cake shop, a small drop-in centre and gift shop and latterly has been a craft and gift shop, "Serendipity". Unfortunately, some of the businesses had to close due to lack of footfall and since "Serendipity" ceased trading at the end of June 2024, the unit has been empty. To try and avoid having another empty unit in the middle of Town, the proposal to create some living accommodation and effectively revert this part of the property back to its' original use, would be a relatively straightforward operation and one that would provide a useful conversion without appearing to be an obvious conversion from retail into residential.
The extension is modest and in-keeping with its' surroundings and would have no detrimental impact nor any overlooking impact on any other properties or businesses in the immediate neighbourhood.
The proposed use of the current shop unit, together with proposed extension, would not be at odds with the current usage within the whole development, including the courtyard areas, at 3 Water Street. Should the proposal be allowed, three larger shop units, all at ground floor level with easy access, would remain with three units given over to residential use. Planning Policy does try to encourage the use of upper floors of buildings within the Town Centre for residential use to try and ensure that at the end of the working day, there are still occupants within buildings turned over to a residential use within the Town.
There are empty shops in Parliament Street available to rent and these usually have larger floor areas together with shop windows fronting on to the main Street. The loss of this small shop unit would not be detrimental to the shopping street as a whole but addition of a residential unit in this location, would, in my opinion, make for an improved use of the building without causing any detrimental visual impact to any of the surrounding neighbourhood or, more importantly, to other near neighbours within the 3 Water Street development. The elevation viewed mainly by the general public, the one that fronts on to Water Street, currently gives an appearance of being residential rather than retail and that will not change.
The proposed extension would "fit-in" with the style and appearance of existing buildings and surroundings, would certainly comply with the current uses of the site and I do feel that this proposal would provide a much improved use of the building.
The scheme would not involve any great loss of retail space in the middle of Town and I feel that, given the uses within the existing development, the proposed use of this unit for residential purposes would be compatible with its immediate neighbours.
The scale and form of the proposed extension is modest and in-keeping with the existing development and the proposed Bedroom would be set at first floor level with a new Bathroom accessible for visitors to the property should this application be approved.
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