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23/01313/B Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/01313/B Applicant : Empress Hotel Proposal : Replace existing front elevation lower level access doors with automated siding doors Site Address : Empress Hotel Central Promenade Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4RA
Technical Officer: Mr Thomas Sinden Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 19.01.2024 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposals meet the tests of Sections 18 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, strategic policy 4 and environment policy 35 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016, and policy CA/2 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 as the conservation area is being preserved and protected. The proposals also meet general policy 2 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 as they do not affect adversely the character of the surrounding townscape and respect the site and surroundings. It is therefore judged that the application is acceptable.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This decision relates to drawing 01, together with the other information all received on 7.11.2023. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
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23/01313/B Page 2 of 4
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE
1.1 The site is The Empress Hotel, Central Promenade, Douglas. The building is a substantial six storey traditionally styled hotel with a modern conservatory at upper ground floor level extending the full width of the property's front elevation. The property is within the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area.
1.2 This application focuses on a single opening in the property's lower ground floor on the front elevation, immediately below the modern conservatory. This level of the building's front elevation has glazed double doors with glazed side lights set within bow-arched masonry openings generally.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL
2.1 The proposal is to replace the pair of existing glazed double doors at the extreme right hand side of the principal elevation at lower ground floor level. The existing painted timber manually operated doors are proposed to be replaced with glazed powder-coated aluminium automatic sliding doors, set behind the existing masonry arch.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY
3.1 The site lies within the area designated on the Area Plan for the East 2020 as Mixed Use, and within the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area. Parts of the site have a medium risk of surface water flooding.
3.2 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999
S18 Designation of conservation areas (4) Where any area is for the time being a conservation area, special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its character or appearance in the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in the area, of any powers under this Act.
3.3 National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 Strategic Policy 4 General Policy 2: Environment Policy 35
3.4 Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man POLICY CA/2 SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
4.0 PLANNING HISTORY
4.1 There are 8 previous planning applications relating to the property on the Department's electronic database. None of these previous applications are considered relevant to the very modest proposals within the current application.
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS
5.1 Douglas Borough Council have stated that they have no objections to the application (24.11.2023).
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23/01313/B Page 3 of 4
5.2 DOI Highways have stated that there is no highways interest in the application (17.11.2023).
6.0 ASSESSMENT
6.1 The principal issues with regard to the application is the impact of the proposed works on the special character of the conservation area, and the impact on the amenity of the locality.
6.2 The existing timber framed glazed door is set within a masonry archway that forms part of a modern extension to the hotel constructed in the early 1990s. Given the scale of the building's front elevation, the scope of the proposed alteration to this door is very modest indeed. The proposal within this application is to replace the existing double doors with a powder-coated aluminium framed set of automatic double doors. This will assist those wishing to enter the hotel that have reduced mobility. Whilst the door proposed will not be arched as per the existing, it is proposed to set the door behind the existing masonry arch. This will have the effect of maintaining the existing series of arched openings that feature along this level of the building's front façade. Given the form and pattern of the openings is proposed to be unaltered, it is judged that the overall impact of the replacement door proposed would be to preserve the special character of the conservation area, and that it would respect the design of the existing building.
6.3 Although part of this site is noted as being a medium risk of surface water flooding, the proposed replacement double doors will not alter the building's susceptibility to flooding, and flood risk is therefore not judged to warrant a reason for refusal in this instance.
7.0 CONCLUSION
7.1 It is judged that the proposals meet the tests of Sections 18 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, strategic policy 4 and environment policy 35 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016, and policy CA/2 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 as the conservation area is being preserved and protected. It is also judged that the proposals meet general policy 2 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 as they do not affect adversely the character of the surrounding townscape and respect the site and surroundings. It is therefore recommended that the application be approved.
8.0 INTERESTED PARTY STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
8.2 The decision maker must determine: o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status
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23/01313/B Page 4 of 4
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I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 19.01.2024
Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
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