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Ralliy Ellan Vannin
Planning Secretary Planning Secretary Department Of Infrastructure Planning And Building Control Division Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas
Dear Sir/Madam, Application No: 13/91065/B Proposal: Erection of a fire station with associated parking and training facilities to replace the stations for Castletown and Ballasalla Address: Land Adjacent To Forrest House Ronaldsway Industrial Estate Ronaldsway Ballasalla Isle Of Man Decision: Department Application Approved Applicant: Department Of Home Affairs I refer to the abovementioned planning application. In accordance with the Article 9 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, I herewith give notice of the decision as follows.
The application has been approved subject to the following condition(s);
removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased must be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
Prior to the commencement of any building operations, samples of external finishes of buildings shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and the development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
Prior to the commencement of any building operations, samples of external finishes of buildings shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and the development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
Prior to first occupation of the Fire Station hereby approved the two new vehicular accesses, eastern and western paved areas and 18 space car parking area all as shown on drawing 1231-001L shall be completed and thereafter retained.
In accordance with article 10(c) of the Order, please be advised that the decision of the Council of Ministers is binding and final (subject to the possibility of judicial review by petition of doleance).
The Planning Inspector's report, upon which the decision was determined, may be viewed by visiting https://www.gov.im/planningapplication/services/planning/search.iom, or by contacting the office of the Chief Secretary for a hardcopy (Tel 685204).
Yours faithfully
[Signature]
Chief Secretary
Site visit: Monday 21 October 2013
operational and personnel requirements. No lift is proposed as this could not be justified for able bodied officers, but the main building meets Building Regulations accessibility requirements including an ambulant disabled staircase in recognition of public open days.
The building height and location meet airport safety requirements, the Hotel and Aircraft Company were consulted and neither expressed concerns. The layout was amended to meet concerns by Strix Ltd not to obscure their sign from the airport exit. Drainage complies with requirements by the Water and Sewerage Authority.
The Planning Officer sets out background facts, the policy framework and confirmed that the site has no planning history. He suggests 4 topics warrant consideration.
First, whether the need outweighs the loss of business park land. The recently adopted Area Plan for the South identifies the locality for "Business Park Use"; paragraphs 6.8.4 and 6.8.5 explain the switch from the previous designation as an Industrial Estate. The existing Castletown Fire Station is shown as "Buildings or Land for Civic, Cultural Use". Paragraph 8.17.1 states that there are no firm proposals for development associated with, amongst things, the Fire Service; a proposal to develop new facilities would be considered against Strategic Plan policies. Given the Area Plan designation, the proposal may not strictly fall for consideration under Strategic Plan General Policy 2, which addresses proposals according with their land-use zoning, but since the locality is allocated for certain forms of development the criteria in that Policy may nonetheless provide a guide. Alternatively General Policy 3 (g) refers "to development recognised to be of overriding national need in land use planning terms and for which there is no reasonable and acceptable alternative" albeit in the context of undesignated land.
Strategic Plan Community Policy 9 states that "Favourable consideration will be given to applications for new fire stations in or near to new or expanded residential areas." Both Castletown and Ballasalla have land designated for residential development. The 2006 census records the population of Ballasalla as about 1,400; that in 2011 as 2,385 for Malew Parish within which Ballasalla is the main settlement. It should be noted, however, that Area Plan housing opportunities in the Castletown area are subject to an early review. (Paragraph 4.16.3 of the Plan refers). The application site is about 0.3 ha. The Balthane Industrial Estate has 36.4 ha of available designated land, Ronaldsway Business Park 9.7 ha and the Freeport 3.2 ha.
Second is the adequacy of the highway network, including impacts on safety and amenity from emergency departures under blue light conditions. Strategic Plan Transport Policy 4 is relevant as might be General Policy 2 (h) and (i) depending on the assessment approach taken.
Next is the visual impact, addressed in General Policy 2 (b) and (c) and South Area Plan Employment Proposal 3 and Landscape Proposal 19.
Finally is the proximity of the airport for which Strategic Plan Transport Policy 10 is relevant. The site falls outside the Runway Public Safety Zone and areas with building height restrictions defined by the Area Plan Map 1 - Constraints. The Airport Operations Manager has confirmed his lack of objection.
C50 Reference DF13/0028 Application No 13/91065/B Inspector's report
does not strictly fall within the uses envisaged but it has similarities: a place where people engage in their occupation to provide tangible products or services, albeit in this case a service that is publicly rather than commercially funded. In character also, activities associated with a fire station would be compatible and not dissimilar to those that might arise within what is envisaged by Proposal 3. Moreover, only an insignificant proportion of the extensive employment land available in this part of the Island would be occupied by the development.
The intended setting could not be described as parkland. Landscaping is constrained by requirements for sight lines at the bend in the road and evidently also in order to safeguard as much as possible of the remainder of the wider parcel of land for future use connected with the airport. But subject to these constraints the proposal does feature extensive areas of grassland and low planting.
Strategic Plan Community Policy 9 supports the provision of new fire stations near expanding residential areas and in turn Community Policy 10 seeks accessibility for fire-fighting services at new developments. The application site was selected following an evidently careful assessment of potential locations, which had regard to accessibility to the main road network and proximity to higher fire risk areas and centres of growing population, the last being relevant both to speedy response times and also to recruitment and retention of crews. I also ponder as to where, if not on a business park, a better location might be found: there would likely to be problems regarding amenity within a residential area, accessibility in a town centre and rural protection in the countryside. I also have no reason to question that the existing Castletown Fire Station is outdated in its facilities, time worn in its structure and I could see that it is not well located in relation to the main highway network. The Community Policies give clear support to the proposal.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1999 Section 10(4) requires that regard be had to the provisions of the development plan, so far as material to the application and (omitting provisions that do not arise in this case) all other material considerations. In the particular circumstances, I consider that the considerations I have just outlined outweigh the proposal's slight degree of conflict with the precise scope of Area Plan Proposal 3.
Having reached that conclusion it is then logical to assess the details of the scheme having regard to the requirements of Strategic Plan General Policy 2, as if the development were fully compliant with its land zoning, rather than General Policy 3 which addresses unzoned, countryside, land.
I refer above to the fact that visibility splays at the proposed vehicular accesses constrain landscaping. They are, however, necessary and unavoidable at this corner site, and operationally the outcome would provide a good standard of access and egress for appliances and other vehicles. The estate road in turn provides good access onto the A5 highway at a modern roundabout junction. The requirements of General Policy 2 (h) and (i) and Transport Policy 4 would be met.
There may be some disturbance at night for people staying at the Hotel but only infrequently and briefly. The likely degree of disturbance would not warrant refusing the application, and I note that no objection has been raised on behalf of the Hotel. I additionally surmise that it may not always be essential to engage sirens, in addition to blue lights, when emerging onto what could well be a largely deserted estate road but that would be an operational decision. It is not determinative in my recommendation. The requirements of General Policy 2 (g) would be adequately met.
Area Plan Landscape Proposal 19 requires new buildings at this Business Park visible from the A5 or steam railway, as this one would be, to be of high quality functional design. The application proposals meet that description precisely in form and layout, and with a clear indication (short of full details) of an intention to
cso Reference DF13/0028 Application No 13/91065/B Inspector's report
use high quality external materials. The requirements of Landscape Proposal 19 and Strategic Plan General Policy 2 (b) and (c) would be met.
On clear evidence there would be no conflict with airport safeguarding zones, and there is expressly no objection by the operator. The requirements of Strategic Plan Transport Policy 10 would be met.
In short, this is a commendable proposal, well thought out and meeting a demonstrable need in a more than satisfactory manner. In the main I shall adopt the conditions suggested by the Planning Officer, but subject to revisions in particular to facilitate minor variations that might arise.
Recommendation
I recommend that the application be approved subject to the following conditions.
The development hereby approved shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
The development shall not be carried out except in accordance with the following drawings: 1231-000B, 1231-001L, 1231-003N, 1231-004N, 1231-009H and 113 all received by the Planning Authority on 9th September 2013, unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
No development shall take place until full details of both hard and soft landscaping have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and these works shall be carried out as approved unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation. Details of hard landscaping shall include footpaths and hard surfacing. Hard landscaping shall be completed prior to first occupation of the fire station. Details of soft landscaping shall include planting within the site and alongside all its boundaries. All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping must be carried out in the first planting and seeding seasons following the occupation of the Fire Station. Any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased must be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
Prior to the commencement of any building operations, samples of external finishes of buildings shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and the development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details unless the Planning Authority agrees in writing to any variation.
Prior to first occupation of the Fire Station hereby approved the two new vehicular accesses, eastern and western paved areas and 18 space car parking area all as shown on drawing 1231-001L shall be completed and thereafter retained.
Alan Langton
Inspector
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