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Planning and Building Control Department of Infrastructure Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas 26 February 2015 To whom it may concern: Re: Planning Application15/00128 ~~CEIVEO01- 27 FEB 2~:5 /~%P4RTMENl 0< "?4sTRUC1\J1'< Miss Erica Humphries Dr Adam 8tandring 3 Tromode Close Douglas IM25PE [email protected] [email protected] We wish to lodge a formal objection to the above planning application for the change of use of Tromode House. We live in close proximity to the building in question and believe that the proposed change in use of Tromode House would have a detrimental impact on the community of Tromode, without realising the benefits to the service users that the Department of Home Affairs has envisaged, Material Considerations Local Amenity The Department of Home Affairs, in the support document accompanying its Pianning Application, states that one of the "objectives for an enhanced replacement for David Gray House and Probation Service Administration would ... be: Located within walking distance of, or on a short bus route to, central Douglas (for work. benefits and for access to support groups which are largely Douglas based)". Tromode House is, indeed, located on a bus route. However, that particular route is relatively infrequent and services to central Douglas do not begin until after the school bus service has completed its round, at approximately 10:00. Having investigated the possibility of catching a bus to central Douglas for work, it has not been possible to find a bus that runs from Tromode to central Douglas before 10:30. Service users will therefore not be able to catch the bus into central Douglas for work, and may have difficulties accessing benefits services or support groups, on account of these restricted times. The walk into central Douglas takes 25 minutes. This does not qualify as a 'short walk', especially if it is raining. The bus stop outside Tromode House is frequented by large groups of school children in the mornings and after school. Presumably the service users of the Rehabilitation and Reception Centre will include a large proportion of drug offenders, as well as some sex offenders. It would seem inappropriate for such individuals to be concentrated such a short distance from a point where children gather unsupervised. Drug users will inevitably attract drug dealers into the local neighbourhood which they would not otherwise habitually frequent. This is a particular issue as many offenders develop their drug problems while inmates in the Isle of Man's prison.

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Tramode has no leisure amenities or places for these people to socialise in a meaningful way with locals, and the result will likely be that there will be significant numbers of bored offenders loitering, attracting unsavoury and undesirable people into the area. One of the facilities of Tromode House listed in the support document includes a private 'tranquil garden area'. Such privacy is likely to encourage the presence of the aforementioned and inevitable visitors. Other Matters Tromode and Cronkbourne are quiet prospering, and popular residential areas and the siting of the proposed service at Tromode House will engender both anxiety among residents and caution among potential buyers when residents try sell properties there. For the reasons stated above, we do not feel that the conversion of Tromode House into a bail hostel would be in the best interests of the service users and is definitely not in the best interests of the community of Tromode. The fact that little in the way of physical alteration to the building would be required should not obscure the fact that Tromode is not an appropriate site for a facility of this kind. Thank you for considering our objection. Yours faithfully, Erica Humphries Adam Stand ring