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23/01453/CON Page 1 of 7
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/01453/CON Applicant : Landscope Limited Proposal : Registered building consent for alterations to facilitate a change of use to gym - RB 188 (in association with 23/01454/GB) Site Address : All Saints Church Alexander Drive Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 4EB
Planning Officer: Mr Toby Cowell Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Planning Committee
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 18.03.2024 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.
Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.
C 2. Prior to the commencement of works to install the proposed mezzanine and changing facilities, details of all of the fixings in to the building's existing fabric are to be submitted and approved in writing by the Department. Thereafter, the works are to be undertaken in accordance with the approved details.
Reason: To ensure that this registered building's special architectural interest is preserved.
C 3. Prior to the commencement of any works to decorate the building's existing fabric, specification details of proposed paint or any other surface treatment are to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. Thereafter, the works are to be undertaken in accordance with the approved details.
Reason: To ensure that this registered building's special architectural interest is preserved.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposals for Registered Building Consent are considered to be acceptable by way of providing minimal external and internal alterations to facilitate the change of use, which would not undermine the building's intrinsic architectural and historic character. The proposals are
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therefore deemed to comply with Strategic Policies 4 and 5, General Policy 2, and Environment Policies 32, 33, 35 and 42 of the Strategic Plan (2016).
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the following drawings and documents referenced;
8D - proposed site plan Noise levels statement from agent Highways response from agent Attendance survey 1 Attendance survey 2 Attendance survey 3 Attendance survey 4 Received 25.01.24
3 - location plan 2B - existing site plan 4 - block plan 1 - existing elevations 5C - proposed ground floor plan and sections 6C - proposed mezzanine floor plan and sections 7B - proposed elevations Existing site photos parts 1-4 Parking survey Planning statement Received 12.12.23
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
It is recommended that the following should not be given Interested Person Status as they are not considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 6(4):
14 Selborne Road, Douglas 16 Selborne Road, Douglas 17 Selborne Road, Douglas 1 Primrose Avenue, Douglas 3 Primrose Avenue, Douglas 8 Primrose Avenue, Douglas 9 Primrose Avenue, Douglas
as they have not explained how the development would impact the lawful use of land owned or occupied by them and in relation to the relevant issues identified in paragraph 2C of the Policy, as is required by paragraph 2D of the Policy. __
Officer’s Report
THIS APPLICATION HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR DETERMINATION DUE TO THE NUMBER OF OBJECTIONS RECEIVED IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSALS
1.0 THE SITE
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1.1 The application site represents the building and curtilage of All Saints Church, Alexander Drive, which dates from 1967 and represents one of the few examples of modernist architecture form this period on the Island. The building was further Registered in 2001 (RB188) on the basis that it represented an 'outstanding example of modern ecclesiastical design by local architect Mr C. J. Kneen.'
1.2 The site is situated on the southern site of Alexander Drive and is further bounded by Primrose Avenue and Selborne Road to the west and east respectively. A total of 21 car parking spaces are noted to the rear and side (west) of the building, with mature trees lining the majority of the site's perimeter. All 15 trees are also noted as being Registered for the contribution they make to the visual amenities of the immediate locality within the context of the wider Woodbourne Road Conservation Area.
1.3 Vehicular access to the site is presently off Primrose Avenue, with additional parking areas at the rear of the building access directly from a rear lane bounding the site to the immediate south. It is understood that the use of the building as a place of worship ceased in excess of 5-8 years ago, with the church having been formally closed and sold off by the Church of England.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Registered Building Consent is sought for various works to the existing building to facilitate a change of use to a gym, which would involve the following external changes:
Additional of a solar array to the roof on the rear elevation facing the rear lane.
2.2 Likewise, the following internal changes are also proposed:
The existing sanitary ware and tiling in the office, toilets and kitchen are to be replaced.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 Whilst the property benefits from a fairly extensive planning history, the majority of this relates to the building when used for its original purpose and is therefore not of material relevance to the current application. It is noted however that a dual planning application (PA 23/01454/GB) has been submitted in relation to the proposed change of use and external changes to the property to facilitate the conversion.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The application site is designated as buildings or land for 'civic, cultural or other use' under the Area Plan for the East 2020 (Map 5 - Douglas Central). The site also falls within the Woodbourne Road Conservation Area with a total of 15 Registered Tree present on the site. The building itself is also Registered (RB188).
4.2 The following policies from the 2016 Strategic Plan are considered pertinent in the assessment of this application;
Strategic Policy
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3 To respect the character of our towns and villages 4 Development required to protection or enhance heritage assets 5 Design and visual impact
General Policy 2b,c General Development Considerations
Environment Policy 32 Extensions and alterations to Registered Buildings 33 Change of use of Registered Buildings 35 Development within Conservation Areas
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Douglas City Council - No objections. (04.01.24)
5.2 Registered Buildings Officer - This application for registered building consent seeks approval for various alterations in connection with a proposal to convert the building in to a gym.
The principal intervention proposed is the installation of a mezzanine floor across a large proportion of the main room, with changing facilities accommodated underneath this new floor. The intention is for the floor structure of these training facilities to sit above the existing finished floor, and to be fixed using non-penetrative fixings. Steel beams would be fixed between and in to the existing steel frame. Metal handrails would be fixed across two of the existing windows to provide a guarding at mezzanine floor level. A new door is proposed in the external wall at mezzanine level in the south western corner of the building, in order to provide a means of escape. An external escape stair is proposed from the flat roof area.
The church dates from 1967, and is one of the few examples of modernist architecture on the Isle of Man. The church closed to worship on 1st May 2017, and now sits vacant. Following numerous site visits in the last two years, although the building remains structurally sound and watertight, it is clear that the currently unused status of the building is beginning to negatively impact the condition of its fabric. Whilst a new use for the building is clearly desirable, the policies in the strategic plan and PPS 1/01 are clear that any change of use should only be permitted "if the proposed use is appropriate and any alterations associated with the change are not detrimental to its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest."
The proposals within this application would insert a mezzanine within the main room. This will undoubtedly change the ability to appreciate the full proportions, form and style of the building's principal space when standing in the main room. However, although the ground floor facilities will necessarily be comprised of a series of small rooms, from mezzanine level and from the eastern end, the main room will still be able to be appreciated as a single space and its architectural special interest will still be evident. The pod-style system proposed to be installed would also be an intervention that is entirely reversible, and with these factors in mind this element of the proposals is judged to preserve the building's special interest.
One element of the proposals that is not reversible, or at the least would have to be infilled using modern fabric, is the proposed creation of a new external door in the south western corner at mezzanine level. This door would give access to a fire escape stair from the external flat roof area. Although this would create a new opening in the external wall, the modernist style of the building (including the form of the main room, the method of construction, various surviving fixtures and the natural light provision) would be unaffected by this proposed door. With this in mind, the proposed new door, together with the exit route through the flat roof parapet wall and the escape stair, are not judged to significantly impact the building's special interest. (01.03.24)
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5.3 Manx National Heritage - no response received at the time of writing.
5.4 Forestry Officer - no response received at the time of writing.
5.5 7 letters of representation have been received providing comments on the proposals. Full details of their content can be found online on public access, with the following only providing a general summary of their content:
Proposals are inappropriate in a residential area.
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The site relates to a vacant church building which is understood to not have been used for its intended purpose for at least the last 5-8 years, whilst having been formally closed and sold off by the Church of England. The existing property comprises an architecturally and historically significant building which has been Registered on this basis.
6.2 From a visual standpoint, no concerns have been raised by the Registered Buildings Officer over the impact of the development of the character and appearance of the Conservation Area or indeed the historic and architectural qualities of the existing building. Exterior changes to the existing building are minimal, and as such would not materially affect its character and appearance, or indeed its relationship and interaction with the immediate streetscene.
6.3 Likewise, internal changes to the property have been reviewed and assessed by the Registered Buildings Officer, who consider that such alterations would sufficiently preserve the fabric and special interest of the Registered Building, and are therefore acceptable in the context of Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policies 32 and 33.
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 The proposals for Registered Building Consent are considered to be acceptable by way of providing minimal external and internal alterations to facilitate the change of use, which would not undermine the building's intrinsic architectural and historic character. The proposals therefore are deemed to comply with Strategic Policies 4 and 5, General Policy 2, and Environment Policies 32, 33, 35 and 42 of the Strategic Plan (2016). The application is therefore recommended for approval.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013, the following are automatically interested persons: (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; (b) Manx National Heritage; and (c) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated
8.2 In addition to those above, the Regulation 9(3) requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application.
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I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to that body by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Committee has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : ...Permitted... Committee Meeting Date:...25.03.2024
Signed :...T COWELL... Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).
Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below
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.
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