Loading document...
==== PAGE 1 ====
23/01315/B Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/01315/B Applicant : Mr Samuel Prince Proposal : Partial removal of front boundary wall to widen access to driveway. Site Address : Dorian 33 Albany Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3NE
Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level :
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.02.2024 __
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 proposal would preserve the character of the area and has no negative impact on highway safety or parking.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the documents, cover letter, photo, location plan, site plan, existing and proposed elevations, existing plan, proposed plan, visibility splay which have been received on 13th December 2023.
__
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
==== PAGE 2 ====
23/01315/B Page 2 of 4
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of 33 Albany Road, Douglas, a detached dwelling located on southwest corner of Albany Road and Selborne Drive.
1.2 There is a continuous short wall around the boundary with Albany Road and Selborne Drive. There is a garage on the southeast corner of the house, facing Selborne Drive. On the boundary with Selborne Drive, there are two metal gates next to each other, a double gate lead to the garage and a single gate lead to the entrance of the house. The gates are marked with pillars slightly higher than the boundary wall.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposal is the demolition of two pillars, both gates and a section of the boundary wall and widening of the driveway.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 There is no previous applications considered materially relevant to this application.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific 4.1 The site is within an area designated as Predominantly Residential in the Area Plan for the East.
4.2 The site is within the Selborne Drive Conservation Area.
Strategic Policy 4.3 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: o Strategic Policy 4(a) o General Policy 2 (b), (c), (g), (i) o Environment Policy 35
PPS and NPD 4.4 Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man is the only adopted PPS at the moment. It provides supplementary policy on developments within any conservation area.
5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Legislation 5.1 Section 18(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act (1999) states, "(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". This sets out the approach to be taken in determining planning applications, which includes giving great weight to the asset's conservation when considering the impact of a proposed development on the asset. Given that the site is within a Conservation Area, the above requirements apply and appropriate consideration will be given in section 7.
Strategy and Guidance 5.2 The Residential Design Guide (July 2021) contains the following guidance that are considered particularly of material relevance to the assessment of this current planning application: o Section 6.3 Front Gardens and Driveways
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection to this application (04.01.2024).
==== PAGE 3 ====
23/01315/B Page 3 of 4
6.2 DoI Highway Services does not oppose this application (22.12.2023). The comment states that the proposal raises no significant road safety or highway network efficiency concerns.
6.3 DoI Highway Drainage write in (05.01.2024) to inform the applicant that no surface water should be discharged onto a public highway.
7.0 ASSESSMENT Conservation Areas Statutory Test 7.1 Before assessing elements of the proposal, as it is within a Conservation Area, a test should be applied to this proposal as mentioned in 5.1. This is whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character of the Conservation Area.
7.2 The demolition of partial of the front boundary wall, does not detract from the character of the area. Therefore, it is considered to preserve the character of the area and passes the test.
Elements of Assessment 7.3 The main considerations for this application are its principle, its impact on the character and appearance of the Area and on highway safety.
Principle of the Application 7.4 Usually for widening of a driveway, there is a principal assessment of whether the proposal would lead to a net increase of parking spaces in the area. In this proposal, there is no impact on parking provision, as the increase width does not increase off-road parking provision nor reduces on-street parking provision. In addition, there is no decrease of garden area. Therefore, it is considered that the proposal is principally acceptable.
Character and Appearance 7.5 Based on paragraph 7.2, it is considered that there is no negative impact on the character of the area.
Highway Safety 7.6 As Highway Services does not oppose this application, it is considered that the proposal would have a neutral impact on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways and therefore is not acceptable.
8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The proposal would preserve the character of the area and has no negative impact on highway safety or parking. Therefore, the proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and the Residential Design Guide July 2021 and is recommended for an approval.
9.0 INTEREST PERSON STATUS 9.1 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;
==== PAGE 4 ====
23/01315/B Page 4 of 4
(f) the local authority in whose district the land which 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.
9.2 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. __
I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Acting 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 : 06.02.2024
Determining officer
Signed : A MORGAN Abigail Morgan
Acting Head of Development Management
Customer note
This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/ customers and archive records.
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal