Officer Report

Application No.: 15/00048/B Applicant: Paul William Howard Proposal: Installation of dormer window to replace existing roof lights to front elevation Site Address: 1 Dalton Street Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3JU Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken: 27.01.2015 Site Visit: 27.01.2015 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is 1 Dalton Street, Douglas, which is a two-storey, end-terrace dwelling with additional accommodation in the roofspace, natural light to which is provided by three rooflights (two to the front roof pitch and the third to the rear; each serves one room). The dwelling is neatly-proportioned but, somewhat unusually for a Victorian terrace, does not offer anything in the way of traditional design details such as hood moulds, decorative eaves or cornices. There is a thin string course that is continued along the terrace. The other dwellings of this short terrace (six dwellings) and its counterpart to the other side of the highway (four dwellings) generally have dormer windows: only two (one on each side) do not. These are primarily of an incongruous, flat-roofed design, and most are double-width. - 1.2 The terrace sits at right-angles to Windsor Street and due north of the convenience shop located on the corner of Windsor and Dalton Streets that is also within the control of the applicant. Although the area is residential, there are other shops and an office to be found nearby. The site is immediately adjacent the Windsor Road Conservation Area to the south and the Woodbourne Road Conservation Area to the east; views of the site are possible from the former. - 1.3 The dwelling's curtilage is larger than the application site, but the rear yard and outrigger and yard has been excluded from the site, presumably since the works proposed are to the roofspace only.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the replacement of the front rooflights with a double-width and flat-roof dormer window. This would have cheeks clad in uPVC; no details on the roof have been provided. There would be four window panes of three different sizes.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Planning approval was granted for various alterations to include the provision of three flats at the property under PA 84/01089/B. As the floorplans provided are both incomplete in terms of the building as a whole and lack any internal detail save for room sizes and door positions, it is not known whether or not this approval was implemented. Approval was also

• granted for "Installation of replacement uPVC windows and doors to front and rear elevations" under PA 02/01964/B.
• 3.2 It is worth considering the planning history of Dalton Street in respect of the dormer windows present. Most recently, approval was granted in 2014 to PA 14/01065/B for "Installation of replacement dormers to front and rear elevations" at 6 Dalton Street. The case officer concluded as follows:

"…it was noted when visiting the site that the majority of properties along Dalton Street have dormer accommodation, and of these most are of a similar design to what is being proposed. It is not considered these large flat roof dormers add to the quality or character of the individual properties or the street screen, arguable they have a detrimental impact. However, the character of the area is traditional properties which have large flat roof dormers facing onto Dalton Street. Due to this, whilst it is generally considered this type of development, especially to more traditional properties, is unacceptable; given the existing built development in the area, it is considered a refusal would be unsustainable."

3.3 Other approvals were prior to the adoption of the Strategic Plan. Approval was sought and issued to PA 01/02443/B for "Installation of uPVC dormer windows to replace existing to front and rear elevations". Other schemes in the area also have seemed to involve the replacement of existing dormer windows, or the provision of new ones as part of wider renovation works (PA 11/00557/B for example).

4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 In terms of local plan policy, the application site is zoned as 'Predominantly Residential' in the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998. - 4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan contains one policy that is considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application. General Policy 2 states (in part): "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 spaces around them;
• (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape, and (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality".

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 At the time of writing there have been no written representations received regarding the current planning application.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 One key test is the extent to which the proposal is appropriate from a design point of view in respect of both the dwelling and the street scene. The second key test is the extent to which the additional glazing affects the living conditions of local residents, primarily in terms of privacy. - 6.2 In terms of the first issue, it is considered that the case officer's assessment of the street scene is accurate. While he was assessing proposed replacement dormer windows

• rather than the introduction of a new dormer window, which is the case here, it is considered that a contrary conclusion in respect of the current application would be difficult to sustain at appeal. The existing dormer window arrangements on Dalton Street are indeed inappropriate and, if that proposed on the application site was unique to the street scene, would be far more objectionable. However, the fact that the traditional street scene has already been detrimentally altered through a number of inappropriate interventions it is not considered that the application could be refused on that basis.
• 6.3 In respect of the impact of the proposal on the local dwellings' living conditions, it is noted that the application site directly faces the rear access lane for the properties of Windsor Road / Auckland Grove and thus any overlooking would be oblique rather than direct. Number 4 Dalton Street, which would be the dwelling most affected, has only a single width dormer. The distance between the dormer windows would be roughly 17m, which, in a fairly dense urban environment such as this, is not considered inappropriate.
• 6.4 On balance, then, it is not considered that against either of the two key tests the application fails so severely as to warrant its refusal.
• 6.5 It is not considered that a condition controlling the dormer roof material would be necessary given any material would not be visible from the street scene and could therefore not be said to warrant a specific approach being taken.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 It is therefore recommended that approval be granted.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 In line with Article 6(4) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure)(No2) Order 2013, the following Persons are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application: the applicant or, if there is one, the applicant's agent; the owner and occupier of the land the subject of the application; Highway Services, and the Local Authority in whose district the land the subject of the application sits.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation:

16.02.2015

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval

• N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
• O : Notes attached to refusals

C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.

Reason: To comply with article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

The approval hereby issued relates to Drawing No 1001 Rev A, date-stamped as having been received 16th January 2015.

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

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 17.02.2015 Determining officer (delete as appropriate) Signed :…………………………………….. Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control Signed : Jennifer Chance Jennifer Chance Head of Development Management