Officer Report

Application No.: 15/00302/B Applicant: Dandara Commercial Limited Proposal: Removal of walls and glazed screens to rear of building in order to create internal and external temporary car parking for a period of four years Site Address: Vacant Motor Garage / Sales Premises Between Former Wool Centre & 41 Peel Road Peel Road Douglas Isle of Man Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is the curtilage of the former Athol Garage car sales building which lies between the former wool control building (a stone building which sits to the south east of the Brown Bobby fuel filling station) and a terrace of three storey Victorian buildings which mostly accommodate apartments. The site has hard surfaced parking areas around the single building on the site which is single storey and a typical basic flat roofed structure with large areas of glazing. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the removal of three of the front windows to allow vehicular access and egress and the use of the site as a temporary car park.

2.2 The applicant indicates that nearby offices have expressed interest in using the site for car parking and have clarified that specifically Microgaming who are situated on Circular Road at the end of Belmont Terrace and who have planning approval under PA 14/01131/B for new offices on the land alongside which was formerly their car park. - 2.3 The applicant has confirmed that they are happy to introduce planters to help improve the appearance of the site.

PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area of Light Industry on the Douglas Local Plan of 1998. REPRESENTATIONS - 4.1 Douglas Borough Council recommends that a condition should be imposed about ensuring that the site is well presented during its use as a temporary car park as this is a primary route to the town centre (21.04.15). PLANNING HISTORY - 5.1 The site has been the subject of recent applications for redevelopment - PA 11/00723/A for the principle of redevelopment for offices - approved, PA 11/00724/A for the principle of redevelopment for residential purposes - approved and a current detailed application which

• has yet to be determined for the redevelopment of the site for 74 apartments (PA 13/91517/B). ASSESSMENT
• 6.1 Whilst the provision of temporary car parks within the town can be useful as a stop gap between a site being cleared and its re-development, they can also become less attractive elements of the streetscene as, because they are only temporary, little effort can be spent on tidying and improving the appearance of the site - the various car parks along Back Strand Street and Market Street are examples of this, as are the car parks at the corner of Peel Road and Circular Road and opposite Tesco. This site is slightly different in that its authorised and former use was for car sales which involved the parking and display of a number of cars on the site, whose appearance will be little different to what is proposed, other than the absence of the advertising signs for the car dealership name. The fact that the applicant has agreed to introduce planters will help improve the appearance of the site.

6.2 It is also helpful that the applicant has clarified an end user of the site and that this user has a specific period of use envisaged, relating to the development of its premises: in this respect a four year approval is considered appropriate. It is also relevant that there is a current application under consideration for the development of the site for residential purposes, indicating some intention to redevelop the site. - 6.3 As there are few visual impacts of the proposed use and no highway issues, the application is considered acceptable and is recommended for approval subject to a condition which requires the introduction of planters to help improve the appearance of the site compared with its current appearance which could continue if a temporary use is not found.

PARTY STATUS

7.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material;
• (d) The Highways Division of the Department; and
• (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation:

19.05.2015

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval

• N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
• O : Notes attached to refusals

• C 1. This approval relates to the use of the site as a temporary car park until 31st May 2019 whereupon the site must either revert back to a car sales outlet or for any other purpose for which it has been authorised. Reason: to control the number of temporary car parking sites within the town.
• C 2. Prior to the use of the site as a car park, a scheme must be approved showing the introduction of planting to improve the appearance of the site. Such a scheme may include troughs or pots and must be implemented before the use of the site for car parking purposes and must be retained and maintained thereafter for as long as the site is used for car parking purposes in accordance with the relevant approval(s). Reason: to improve the appearance of the site

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This approval relates to drawings A/PL/050 and A/PL/051 both received on 18th March, 2015.

I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control /Head of Development Management/ Senior Planning Officer.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 22.05.2015 Determining officer (delete as appropriate) Signed :…………………………………….. Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer Signed: Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control Signed :…………………………………….. Jennifer Chance Head of Development Management