35353

==== PAGE 1 ====

                                                 15/00094/B
                                 Page  1  of  4

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 15/00094/B Applicant : Miss Simone Meadowcroft Proposal : Conversion of former travel agency into a bakery Site Address : 31 Parliament Street Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 1AT

Case Officer : Miss Laura Davy Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level :

Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The application site is the curtilage of 31 Parliament Street, Ramsey which is a mid- terrace property which is to the southern side of Parliament Street. The ground floor of the building is used as a travel agency; the floor above is residential and is occupied by the applicant.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks approval for the conversion of the ground floor from travel agency to a bakery. The building/engineering works would be predominantly internal. Also included is the installation of a vent at the rear of the property to replace an existing air conditioning unit the vent would be approximately 160mm x 160mm as per the applicant's email of 28th January, 2015. This would be positioned in a similar position to the existing air conditioning unit.

2.2 The applicant would be the only member of staff who would operate the bakery between the hours of 7am and 3pm Tuesday through to Saturday, but would be open to the public only between the hours of 10am and 3pm Tuesday through to Saturday. The bakery would be specialist in that it would be catering for customers who are gluten intolerant.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The following previous application is considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application:

PA 12/01608/B Conversion of existing offices on upper floors into three apartments - approved

4.0 DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES 4.1 The application site is within an area zoned as "Mixed Use" and is also within the Ramsey Conservation Area identified on the Ramsey Local Plan 1998. Given the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (20th June 2007).

5.0 CONSULTATIONS 5.1 Ramsey Town Commissioners have no objection to the proposal and observed the opening hours of the bakery being 10.00am to 3pm Tuesday to Sunday. The Commissioners

==== PAGE 2 ====

                                                 15/00094/B
                                 Page  2  of  4

further comment that should this application be approved, they would recommend the inclusion of the above information as a condition (19/02/2015).

5.2 A representation has been received from 2 Croft Park, Andreas (31/01/2015), 3 Gladstone Avenue, Ramsey (06/02/2015) and from an address in Amsterdam (18/02/2015) all indicating their support for the application.

6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of the application are the impacts upon the amenities of local residents and the impact upon the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

6.2 The application seeks approval for the conversion of the travel agency to bakery which would include a retail area.

6.3 The site is within the Mixed Use part of the Town Centre and therefore the use is considered to be appropriate for this location. The supporting information indicates that only two domestic ovens will be installed, so while there is likely to be some smells from the premises, given that there would be only two ovens it is considered that the impact would not be unduly harmful upon the amenities of local residents given that the level of baking would not be to an industrial scale. It is also considered that the smells of baking would not have the same potential harmful impact as deep fried food.

6.4 Included in this application is the installation of a vent to replace the existing air conditioning unit. The proposed vent is considered to be an enhancement over the existing air conditioning unit and therefore this part of the application is considered to be acceptable. The vent would be close to windows on the upper floors, but given that the property is occupied by those operating the bakery, and the hours are restricted to times when the residential apartment is less likely to be in use it is considered that the siting of the vent would be acceptable.

6.5 The hours of operation are limited to typical working hours, given that the site is within a Mixed Use area this is considered to be acceptable and is unlikely to have an unacceptable impact upon the amenities of local residents.

6.6 The applicant states that she will be the one in the bakery and there would be no other staff. Given that the applicant lives in the apartment above there would be no additional parking requirement generated from the proposal in terms of staff. Given the location of the site within the Town Centre it is judged that there would be sufficient customer parking in the area in general and therefore additional car parking is not required as part of the proposal.

6.7 For the above reasons the application is considered to be acceptable and is recommended for approval.

7.0 PARTY STATUS

7.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested; (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material; (d) The Highways Division of the Department; and

==== PAGE 3 ====

                                                 15/00094/B
                                 Page  3  of  4

(e) The local authority, Ramsey Town Commissioners in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

7.2 The residents of 2, Croft Park, Andreas, 3 Gladstone Avenue, Ramsey (06/02/2015) and Amsterdam are not considered to have sufficient interest in the application to warrant being afforded interested person status in this case, although their comments are welcome.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 24.02.2015

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.

C 2. The use hereby approved shall not be undertaken outside the following times:

0730hrs to 1500hrs on weekdays and 0730hrs to 1500hrs on Saturdays.

The use shall not be undertaken at any time on Sundays and/or Public Holidays.

Reason: In order to protect the amenities of the area.

--

This approval relates to drawings location, site, existing floor and proposed floor plans and vent detail received 28th 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; 25.02.2015

Determining officer (delete as appropriate)

==== PAGE 4 ====

                                                 15/00094/B
                                 Page  4  of  4

Signed :... Chris Balmer

Senior Planning Officer

Signed :...S CORLETT Sarah Corlett

Senior Planning Officer

Signed :... Michael Gallagher

Director of Planning and Building Control

Signed :... Jennifer Chance

Head of Development Management