Planning Secretary Department of Infrastructure Planning and Building Control Division Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas
In accordance with Article 10(2)(e) of the above Order, the person appointed by the Council of Ministers to consider this application has submitted his report. In further accordance with Article 10(3)(a) a copy of the appointed persons report is herewith enclosed.
On the 12th September 2013, and after consultation, the Council of Ministers accepted the recommendation contained within that report and the application was approved subject to the conditions specified below.
Applicant:
Harbours Division
Proposal:
Change of use from temporary amenity building to permanent, Peel Inner Harbour Mill Road Peel Isle Of Man IM5 1TB
Conditions Of Approval:
This permission relates to the permanent retention of the amenity building at Peel Inner Harbour Boatyard as shown in Drawings PA-100, PA-101 and U1426/01 B all date stamped 16 May 2013.
Application by Department of Infrastructure Harbours Division for: Change of use from temporary amenity building to permanent, Peel Inner Harbour, Mill Road, Peel IM5 1TB.
Site visit: Monday 22 July 2013
Preamble
The application was referred to the Council of Ministers in accordance with Section 10(1)(a&b) of The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005 because the land is owned by, and applicant is, part of the Department of Infrastructure.
Site and Development
The building is a Portakabin modular unit, with architectural external cladding, a glazed canopy over its entrance, ramped and stepped access and fitted out internally to provide male, female and fully accessible unisex showers, lavatories and changing facilities. It stands towards the head of the refurbished boatyard at the Inner Harbour.
PA 07/00910/B approved the Inner Harbour Marina development and PA 08/01371/B gave approval for the erection of a temporary amenity building. The application seeks to make the approval permanent, although there is not a copy of PA 08/01371/B on file. Strictly speaking, what is being sought is not a change of use of the building (there would not be any) but rather approval to retain it without compliance with the provision in PA 08/01371/B that had the effect of making that approval a temporary one. However, the intention is plain, no one could be prejudiced by determining what has been applied for, and I proceed on this basis.
Representations
There is no supporting statement from the applicant Division but the Planning Officer has provided background facts and the policy framework: the site is within an area designated as "Harbour" in the Peel Local Plan 1989 and it sits adjacent to but outside the Peel Conservation Area. Accordingly the proposal is to be assessed having regard to Strategic Plan General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 36. There is no other representation on file.
Inspector's Assessment
The building is unprepossessing in a positive sense of that word: it neither proclaims its presence and neither is it in any sense unsightly. It provides essential facilities to visiting crews and anyone working on a vessel or otherwise calling at the boatyard. It was in frequent use at the time of my visit. I saw nothing to call its durability into question, subject to no more than normal levels of redecoration and maintenance over the years. As the building is ancillary to the boatyard, it accords with the Local Plan zoning. There is no conflict with any of the safeguarding criteria listed in General Policy 2, which accordingly gives support to the proposal. There is no significant, let alone important, view into or out of the Conservation Area that is interrupted by this modest sized and fairly low building, which thereby accords with Environment Policy 36.
Recommendation
I recommend that the application be approved subject to the following condition.
This permission relates to the permanent retention of the amenity building at Peel Inner Harbour Boatyard as shown in Drawings PA-100, PA-101 and U1426/01 B all date stamped 16 May 2013.
Alan Langton Inspector
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