Cabinet Office

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CABINET OFFICE Government Office DOUGLAS Isle of Man IM1 3PN Direct Line (01624) 685280 Fax Number (01624) 685710 Email [email protected] CHIEF SECRETARY Mr Will Greenhow ACMA 9th June 2015

Planning Secretary Planning and Building Control Directorate Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Our Reference : DF15/0007 Dear Sir/Madam,

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE) (No2) ORDER 2013

| PA Ref | 15 / 00106 / B | | :-- | :-- | | Applicant | Ms Suzanne Slater | | Proposal | Creation of parking area to side of dwelling with vehicular access onto <br> highway | | Address | 52 Lakeside Road Douglas Isle Of ManIM2 7BA |

I refer to the abovementioned planning application. In accordance with Article 10(9) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, I herewith give notice of the decision as follows.

On 4th June 2015, the Council of Ministers considered the recommendations of the Planning Inspector and determined to approve the application subject to the conditions and Note specified below.

Conditions of Approval

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.

2. The area shown as "grass" on drawing 5/998/6(A) shall be retained as such.

Reason: to ensure an appropriate landscape setting to the development.

Note

This approval relates to a site plan at 1:500 scale date stamped 2nd February 2015, location plan at 1:2500 scale date stamped 20th February 2015, and layout plan at 1:50 scale date stamped 25th February 2015.

In accordance with Article 10(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).

Yours faithfully,

A Johnstone Planning Appeals Administrator On behalf of the Chief Secretary

Application by Ms Suzanne Slater for: Creation of parking area to side of dwelling with vehicular access onto the highway, 52 Lakeside Road, Douglas IM2 7BA.

Site Visit: Monday 11^{\text {th }} May 2015

Preamble

1. The application was referred to the Council of Ministers in accordance with Section 10(1)(b) of The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, because the Department of Infrastructure, as Highway Authority, has an interest in part of the defined site.
2. 52 Lakeside Road is a modern 2 storey house, at the end of a short terrace. Its curtilage includes an area of grassland to the side, between this house and No 50, which is set back relative to No 52. This area is open at the front but divided by a wall, some 2 m high, broadly speaking on the building line of No 50 . There is no window or other opening on the facing side gable to No 50 . These and other houses in the vicinity back onto a parking court reached via a drive a little further along Lakeside Road.
3. The proposal is to remove the wall, lay out a vehicle crossing over the highway verge and footway and partially pave the side curtilage area to provide an off-street parking space. A new wall with a gated access would be built between the 2 houses essentially on the rear building line of No 52. This amends the initial application, when it was shown further back, at the request of Highway Services.

Gist of the Submissions

4. Applicant: the application is solely to provide a parking place with no intention of creating a garage or house extension. She and her partner do have 2 allocated spaces at the back, but these are often taken up by others when one or other of them returns from work, and there is then rarely kerbside space available either. Finding a space and then walking home after a long working shift is inconvenient and can be intimidating late at night. The work would be properly undertaken by registered contractors and her architect assures her that the space is adequate without affecting her neighbours. There has been no nearby objection or concerns raised.
5. Planning Officer: sets out relevant Development Plan policies. Assessed against these, the works would not be prominent in the street scene, nor out of keeping with driveways to parking areas at other houses on the estate. Visibility is good, and having considered the amended scheme Highway Services has no objection. Approval is recommended, subject to suggested conditions.
6. Douglas Borough Council: no objection.
7. Mr S Young of 1 Berry Woods Avenue: this would lose one probably two on-street parking spaces. The house has parking at its rear as well as in front. There may be drainage issues affecting No 50; the site is too restricted and would place a car close to No 50. An application for a garage and then possibly an extension over the garage would be likely to follow. There is nothing like the parking problem being suggested.

Inspector's Assessment

8. The material considerations are the street scene, highway parking and safety, and living conditions at 50 Lakeside Road. Any future proposal, if it arose, to extend 52 Lakeside Road would need to be assessed then on its merits.
9. There are numerous vehicle crossings within the estate over the highway verge and footway, and this one would be little different and entirely in keeping. There is sufficient depth to stand one car here, behind the front building line of the house, causing very little impact on the street scene and next to none on neighbouring residents at No 50. Any temptation to park 2 cars in tandem, risking encroaching over the footway, has been obviated by the amendment moving the new rear wall forward. The neighbouring house stands higher, and there is no reason to suppose that drainage would be problematic. Visibility along this local estate road when leaving the site would be good and, although as is generally the case, this vehicle crossing would inhibit probably one kerbside parking space that would be offset by the newly created off street parking opportunity. In short, I see no objection to the proposal, which accords in all material regards with Strategic Plan General Policy 2. That being so, there is further support for the proposal in Ms Slater's understandable wish to have an assured parking space alongside her home when returning at different times of the day or night following shift work.

Recommendation

10. I recommend that the application be approved subject to the conditions and note below, in line with those suggested by the Planning Officer.

Man Langton <br> DipTP CEng MRTPI MICE MCIHT <br> Inspector

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. 2. The area shown as "grass" on drawing S/998/6(A) shall be retained as such.

Reason: to ensure an appropriate landscape setting to the development. Note: this approval relates to a site plan at 1:500 scale date stamped 2^{\text {nd }} February 2015, location plan at 1:2500 scale date stamped 20^{\text {th }} February 2015, and layout plan at 1:50 scale date stamped 25^{\text {th }} February 2015.