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Proposed Change of use to provide additional Childcare nursery area at Little Diamonds, Demesne Road, Douglas. Isle of Man.
November 2020 Prepared by: Ellis Brown, Architects 12 Strathallan Crescent, Queen’s Promenade, Douglas IM2 4NR
The building located on the corner of Westmoreland road and Demesne road, currently contains a mix of uses over 2 floors.
At ground floor there is a convenience shoe (the Spar) facing Westmoreland road, which includes the associated storage for the facility. Also, on Westmoreland road, is the entrance to the Gym facility known as Warehouse Fitness. This entrance leads to the first-floor reception to the gym, however there are some gym facilities at ground level, towards the rear of the building.
The existing childcare facility known as Little Diamonds is also included at ground floor, accessed from the Demesne Road elevation.
The building has retail, childcare and the changing facilities for the gymnasium at ground floor.
The childcare facilities include spaces for children of varying ages, administrative and operational spaces such as WC’s, Staffrooms and kitchen areas.
At first floor the building has a use of Gymnasium, Warehouse fitness. This has a mix of spaces that are currently dance studio / class spaces, weights rooms, general fitness /aerobic equipment, massage rooms and a dry changing area. There are also staff office and WC facilities.
These gym spaces are linked to the ground floor changing facilities by a central staircase. There is a platform lift installed to provide access for all users.
Prior to the Covid pandemic the gym has a membership / user number of approximately 250 – 300. Since reopening after the shut down the numbers are returning to that level, currently at around 200. Staffing levels currently are 3 (permanent) with up to 6 occasional staff who run specific gym / fitness sessions or are personal trainers. (up to 9 in total). The peak times for attendance are early mornings and lunchtimes and evenings.
The site has been subject to numerous planning applications and approvals are in place for the building, the most relevant are the most recent that relate to the current use of the spaces.
This application seeks approval to change the use of the first-floor ladies gymnasium area and its associated spaces, to a childcare facility for children aged 2 plus. This includes an area at ground floor, that was previously spa / changing areas connected to the Gym, that is to be converted to kitchen area for the nursery. This area has direct access to the rear lane which will facilitate deliveries and emergency escape.
The proposal is that the areas changed in use, will be additional spaces / an extension of the current childcare facility that is Little Diamonds and will be known as “Diamond Kidz”. Little Diamonds is a thriving and popular nursery facility with an excellent reputation for quality childcare.
The alterations to facilitate the change of use will include the provision of additional welfare and management / staff facilities and is designed in accordance with the DSC guidance document in respect of the number of WC/ washbasins.
The proposal will provide a mix of spaces – that will be managed to accommodate children of varying ages and include a sensory area to assist in the care of children with special needs. The proposal will also offer session times both before and post school hours as a “school club” that will also provide care during the school holidays. This will be for children both under and over 8 years old also and will be managed and staffed appropriately. The exact nature of the operation is yet to be finalised, and will depend on market demand, but the overall operation will be childcare focussed.
The numbers in attendance will be managed to suit the spatial accommodation available, and in full compliance with Standard 4 of the Child Day Care Centres, Minimum Standards,
The current staffing levels would be altered to accommodate the increased capacity and would be in accordance with Department of Social Care guidelines. It is anticipated that an additional 3 full time staff will be required plus sessional staff to work during the school holidays.
The existing nursery has in house kitchen / catering facilities, the proposal being to provide breakfast and post school meals in addition to those for the full-time attendances. The area
The 2 staircases that are currently in the centre of the plan are to be retained and link the existing nursery areas to the proposed areas at first floor.
The current opening hours of the Gym are from 06.45 to 20.00 and 09.00 to 13.00 on Saturdays. Prior to the Pandemic in March 2020 the facility was open Sundays too. In usual operational circumstances there are often 30 or 40 people attending in the peak sessions which are early morning, lunchtimes and over 80 in the early evenings (especially Monday to Thursday).
The proposed hours of operation for Diamond Kidz is to be the same as Little diamonds – 08.00 to 18.00. Monday to Friday.
The Space at the upper level (the former Gym space) could be utilised for events run by external organisations, so the proposal is to include for opening hours of 10.00 to 17.00 at weekends also.
External proposals. The proposal makes alterations to external envelope of the building, on the Demesne road and back lane elevations. These alterations are the proposal to include the removal of the existing roller shutter door and its replacement with an extension to the existing screen at ground floor, to the Demesne road elevation. This will provide natural light and ventilation to the area that is proposed to be a nursery space. The proposal includes the addition of windows at high level in the rear lane, which again will add natural light and ventilation to the spaces proposed to be utilised for childcare use. The existing access that is used for the gym currently (on Westmoreland road) is to be retained and provide access to the first-floor reception area. (currently gym reception). Should the application be approved, the building signage to this area will be altered to identify the proposed (changed) use.
The existing access and drop off arrangements to the Demesne Road / main entrance area that are currently in operation are to be retained. The drop off / collection times of children are staggered to assist in the management and facilitate the turnover of parents / guardians arriving and leaving the facility with their child. The additional area will have attendance to a similar level to that of the existing gym, but the traffic will be at the application site for much shorter periods than the current users. The staggered collection / drop off times will further facilitate the nature of the short term parking in the vicinity.
It should be noted that the application site is within 100m of the nearest school at Henry Bloom Noble, and there is a zebra crossing to facilitate the pedestrian traffic. Pre application research has shown the need for the facility in the vicinity of the school and as such it is
anticipated that a large portion of the children attending the proposed facility, will be from this school.
The proposed additional school club facilities are, by natural consequence, operational when traffic to the nearby school will be reduced or non-existent (holidays). It is acknowledged that there are out of school time activities at the school, however the level of traffic has been observed to be lower that that when the school is active.
The site is also within 300m of circular road to the south east and 450m of Athol street, the central business district of Douglas. Current users from the business district are known to park at their place of work / usual place and walk children to the facility.
It is also of note that at the current nursery facility, many of the users walk their children there, and a pushchair parking area inside the building is provided. The children of the older age are less reliant on pushchairs and are anticipated that they will walk to the facility.
There are no reported traffic issues in the area that are related or connected to the operation of the existing gym and Nursery facilities, and that will not change by altering the use of the area subject to the application. Recently white line marking has taken place at the site that further clarifies the demarking of parking area and pedestrian area / pavement for drop off and pedestrian users to all the facilities at the application site as per the previously approved application – 17/00746/B.
Cycle parking is proposed to the Westmoreland Road elevation as identified on the site plan. The area to the side of the building is to be re-surfaced and clearer markings added to aid traffic movements as identified on the site plan drawing. There are bus services along Westmoreland road, serving routes that enter Douglas from the Kensington road area and beyond.
Statement to accompany the planning application (this document)
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