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21/00116/C Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 21/00116/C Applicant : Department Of Infrastructure Transport Services Proposal : Additional use of existing parking spaces for the parking of two minibuses Site Address : Castle Rushen High School Arbory Road Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1RE
Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Planning Committee
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 16.03.2021 __
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. The proposal is considered to be in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 in that no unacceptable heritage, visual, residential amenity, highways or other impacts were identified.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 01.02.2021:
Site Location Plan Block Plan Traffic Movement Plan Supporting Documents __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
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21/00116/C Page 2 of 5
THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS IT DOES NOT ACCORD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN BUT IS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL.
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The application site relates to part of the Castle Rushen High School grounds - namely, the parking 'crescent' adjacent to Arbory Road to the northwest of the grounds and a parking area to the southeastern part of the site. Both are accessed separately from Arbory Road.
1.2 The site is approximately 100m west of Castletown Conservation Area. The Registered Building 'The Witches Mill' sits to the west and its curtilage bounds the school grounds.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The current application seeks approval for the additional use of the school grounds for the parking of up to two minibuses outside of operational school hours.
2.2 Included within the application is a statement from the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) which states that the minibuses form part of 'bus vannin' although are operated separately to the big bus section. In total the minibus section operated 33 vehicles ranging between 9 - 16 seats. These minibuses offer services to DESC, DHSC for the transport of school children and students to various sites across the Island, along with adult and elderly patient transfers, the minibuses also provide a commercial service to the Sea Terminal and a demand service to the North. The vehicles are generally out all day but there may be some days when they are not required and could be parked all day. There will be no requirement to wash, maintain or refuel the vehicles at the site.
2.3 The use is ongoing and the application seeks to regularise the parking of the minibuses on this site.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site falls within an area designated as a Secondary School on Area Plan for the South 2013 (inset map for Castletown). General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan is the key policy in the consideration of this application.
3.2 General Policy 2 states (in part): "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; h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan; m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption.
3.3 The school site is adjacent to a Registered Building. Planning Policy Statement 1/01 provides guidance notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man. Policy RB/5 is relevant and states that in considering whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting, the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.
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4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 There have been a number of similar applications submitted for the additional use of sites across the Island for the parking of DOI minibuses, those considered materially relevant to this application are: o PA 18/00813/C - parking of two minibuses at Foxdale School o PA 18/00810/C - parking of three minibuses at Marown School o PA 18/00815/C - parking of four minibuses at Braddan School o PA 18/00811/C - parking of two minibuses at Kirk Michael School
4.2 18/00811/C is of particular relevance. This application was initially approved, with a subsequent appeal being upheld by the planning inspector. The inspector considered the visual impact of the minibuses on the character and appearance of Kirk Michael Conservation Area and the impact on the safety and amenity of school users including pupils to be key considerations. They also concluded that the use of the school for the parking of minibuses for uses other than solely in connection with the school, to constitute a change of use.
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 DOI Highways state that they not oppose this application (23.02.21).
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of this planning application are:
o The Principle of the Use o Visual and Heritage Impact o Highway and Parking o Residential Amenity o Impact on the existing School Use
6.2 Principle of the Use 6.2.1 The minibuses are intended to serve a range of purposes and are not specifically for use by the school, although will provide services to The Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC), which operates the Island's schools and the University College Isle of Man and The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) which includes healthcare as well as social services for adults and for children and families. Alongside this the minibuses will also provide an on demand commercial service to the general public and ports services. The minibuses are to be located at various sites across the Island and within close proximity to the route which they will likely serve and in reasonable distance from their driver's home. This operation is likely to reduce the need for long journeys (both staff and vehicles) and expected to help create a more sustainable and energy efficient process.
6.2.2 The school car parks (A and B, as per the submitted plans) provide parking and drop off areas for school staff and parents. Buses also use the parking crescent (A) access road for dropping off and collecting school children.
6.2.3 PA 18/00811/C is considered as material in the assessment of this application and is outlined in 4.2 of this report. In considered the appeal, the planning inspector concluded that whilst the use of school parking spaces to serve Bus Vannin operational needs was 'partially in accordance with the land use designation' as a school, the greater part of the use would not accord with this designation.
6.2.4 Accounting for the above, it is considered that the use of the school parking areas by Bus Vannin as an operating centre for minibuses serving a variety of needs off-site, is a material change of use of the site. For this reason, the proposal does not accord with the Secondary School land use designation as per the Area Plan for the South and is therefore at odds with the Development Plan - of which the Area Plan forms a part. The impacts of the use proposed must be considered in detail and balanced against the lack of accordance with the Development Plan, as discussed below.
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6.3 Visual and Heritage Impact 6.3.1 The application site is largely functional in appearance, characterised by open parking areas, a modern school and swimming pool buildings when viewed from Arbory Road. The Witches Tower (Registered Building) is visible from Arbory Road behind the school car parking (car park A).
6.3.2 Car park B is to the southern corner of the site and is largely screened from public view by school buildings. The parking of up to two minibuses in car park B would have no notable visual impact on the street scene or on the setting of the registered building.
6.3.3 Car Park A is the parking are to the roadside in the northern corner of the school grounds, with a crescent shaped access road around it. This part of the site is an established car park and is in keeping with the functional appearance of the wider site. Buses parked here would be readily visible from Arbory Road. Given the relatively large size of the car park, the setting of the wider site and street scene, and the limited impact of two minibuses, the proposal would have a limited visual impact here. For the same reasons, it is not considered that the impact of the school site on the setting of the registered building to the southwest would be increased.
6.3.4 In this regard, the proposal is considered to accord with General Policy 2 of the IOMSP and with PPS 1/01 policy RB/5.
6.4 Highways and Parking 6.4.1 The proposal does not result in any changes to the existing site access arrangements and the buses would be parked within existing marked spaces so as to reduce any obstructions to vehicles moving through the site. While traffic coming into and out of the site may marginally increase (resulting from an expected 4 additional vehicle movements per day) this is not expected to result in any detriment or adverse impacts on general traffic flows or highway safety. The site accesses are used by larger school buses each schoolday and it is considered that they would comfortable accommodate the minibuses.
6.4.2 For the above reasons, the proposal is considered to accord with General Policy 2 (h&i).
6.5 Residential Amenity 6.5.1 As noted above, the proposal will have a likely impact in increasing activity on the site - including during hours outside of normal school days/times. The proposed use of the parking areas would be for the overnight parking of two minibuses only. There would be some noise from the vehicles and bus driver's personal vehicles when the buses arrive and leave. This would not be significant however relative to the primary use of the site as a secondary school and the level of activity and noise which the primary use brings to the area.
6.5.2 With regard to residential amenity, the proposal would accord with General Policy 2 (g).
6.6 Safety and amenity of site users 6.6.1 The parking area is not controlled and access can be achieved at all times, the parking of the minibuses is not expected to cause any community safety issues, and minibuses parked here would be done so at the applicants own risk.
6.6.2 When operational, the minibuses would increase the level of vehicular activity on the site as discussed above. The applicant seeks to use the site for overnight parking outside of school hours however. Given the existing nature of the parking areas and daily usage of the site by school buses, staff cars and parents collecting and dropping off pupils, the additional risk to safety of site users would be considered minimal and in accordance with General Policy 2 (m).
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 The proposal would provide a local operating centre for the overnight parking of up to 2 minibuses. No significant concerns in relation to visual, heritage, amenity, highways or safety
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impacts have been identified. The proposal is considered to accord with General Policy 2 of the IOMSP, and PPS 1/01 accordingly.
7.2 The partial change of use of the site, whilst not strictly in accordance with the land use designation, would not result in any unacceptable impacts as set out above. For this reason, the planning committee is recommended to approve this application.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 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; (f) the local authority in whose district the land 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.
8.2 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 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: 29.03.2021
Signed : N SALT 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
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