DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/01352/B Applicant: Lloyds Banking Group Proposal: Installation of 2 x additional air conditioning condenser units on the roof top of Villiers House Site Address: Villiers Building Victoria Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 2LN Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.02.2021 _________________________________________________________________

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. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the documents, photos, Design and Access Statement, production dimensions and information, covering letter and the following drawings: no. 88888888-AREX-00-0020 no. 88888888-AR01-E1-0201 no. 88888888-AR01-R1-0101 no.XXXXXXXX-AREX-R1-0100 as having been received 27th November 2020. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is the curtilage of the Villiers Building, Victoria Street, Douglas, the ground floor of a five-storey office building located on the corner of Victoria Street and Loch Promenade.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks approval for the installation of two additional air conditioning condenser units on the southwest corner roof top of Villiers House.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Alterations including a new shop front, installation of two ATM's and relocation of a doorway was APPROVED under 20/00390/B.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 In terms of the local plan, the site is within an area designated Mixed Use (Strand Street) in the Area Plan for the East. The site is also within the Villiers Comprehensive Treatment Area. It is within the Douglas Promenade Conservation Area. - 4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: - 4.3 General Policy 2: "Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:

• (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;
• (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality".

4.4 Environment Policy 35 states: "Within Conservation Areas, the department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

5.0 REPRESENTATION - 5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection on this application (17/12/2020). - 5.2 DoI Highway Services states there is no highway interest in this application (18/12/2020).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main issue to be considered in the assessment of this application is the impact of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the street scene and the Conservation Area. - 6.2 Although located within the Conservation Area. The building is a modern office building consists of mostly curtain windows for most of the elevations. Therefore, the character of the area is modern although being within a conservation area. The new air condition units are not visible from the street level and are not visible looking from the sea towards the Promenade. Therefore, there is no impact on the character of the Area.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 For the reasons that the proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2, Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan, it is recommended for an approval.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2013 (As Amended), the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• o Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material;
• o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.
• o the Highways, Ports and Railways divisions of the Department of Infrastructure.

8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than those explicitly listed above) 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 a Principal Planner 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: 02.02.2021 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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