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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 21/00457/B Applicant : Mr Kieron Walls Proposal : Installation of replacement windows to front elevation Site Address : Slaidburn 1 Tennis Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3LW

Technical Officer: Mr Thomas Sinden Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 29.06.2021 __

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 complies with Section 18 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, as well as General Policy 2, Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and Planning Policy Statement 1/01, as the Conservation Area is being protected, preserved and in part enhanced. Although the materials are not traditional, as required by Environment Policy 34, it is considered appropriate in this case given the context of the site and that the general impact would be to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the area. It is therefore judged to be acceptable.

Plans/Drawings/Information; The decision relates to the supporting information received on 14.05.2021. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE

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1.1 The site is Slaidburn, 1 Tennis Road, Douglas, a two storey property within the Selbourne Drive Conservation Area. The property has painted render walls with mouldings around the openings, a pitched roof finished in natural slate, and ground floor bays either side of the entrance door. The properties on the terrace are set back from the highway with front gardens enclosed by dwarf walls and railings.

1.2 The windows on the front elevation are UPVC casement windows at first floor level. There are UPVC fixed windows in the ground floor bay windows, with French doors in the right hand side bay.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application proposes to replace the existing ground floor bay windows and French doors in a like for like manner, and to replace the front elevation first floor UPVC casement windows with UPVC sliding sash windows. Whilst the application notes that the current units have brown frames and the proposed units are white, frame colour is not something that is ordinarily controlled by the Planning Office.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the East 2020 as Predominantly Residential and within the Selbourne Drive Conservation Area where Environment Policy 35 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 require development to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area and to take into account in any decision, the special character of the area. The site is not in an area at risk of flooding.

3.2 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S18 Designation of conservation areas (4) Where any area is for the time being a conservation area, special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its character or appearance in the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in the area, of any powers under this Act.

3.3 National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016

General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan: 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; and (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality.

Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;

Environment Policy 34 expresses a preference for the use of traditional materials in the maintenance, extension or alteration of pre-1920 buildings.

3.4 Planning Circular 1/98 provides guidance on the replacement of windows and in Conservation Areas states that whatever the frame material, the method of opening on windows visible by the public must replicate the original.

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 Application 91/04083/B permitted the installation of new windows at the property.

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5.0 REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Douglas Borough Council have stated that they have no objections to the application (1.6.2021).

5.2 The Department of Infrastructure Highways Division has stated that there is no highways interest in the application (7.6.2021).

6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issue here is whether the proposed replacement windows preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Conservation Area in which the property sits taking into account the special character of the area.

6.2 The application proposes to replace the existing front elevation ground floor bay window UPVC units with like for like UPVC units, including the French doors. Whilst the frame colour will be white rather than dark brown, the only other difference will be the absence of lead lattice detail in the upper sections of the windows. Given that this detail would not have been present in the property's historic windows, the removal of the detail within this proposal is judged to preserve the character of the Conservation Area.

6.3 The application also proposes to replace the existing UPVC casement opening front elevation windows with UPVC sliding sash windows. The alteration from casement opening to sliding sash units on the property's front elevation is judged to be more appropriate to the style of window that would have been in place historically. Whilst Environment Policy 34 expresses a preference for traditional materials in pre-1920s buildings, the use of UPVC is judged to be appropriate in this instance given that the existing units are UPVC, and that the overall impact will be to enhance the character of the Conservation Area.

7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 It is concluded that the proposal complies with Section 18 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, as well as General Policy 2, Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and Planning Policy Statement 1/01, as the Conservation Area is being protected, preserved and in part enhanced. Although the materials are not traditional, as preferred by Environment Policy 34, it is considered appropriate in this case given the context of the site and that the general impact would be to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the area. It is therefore recommended that the application be approved.

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

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o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status

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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: 08.07.2021

Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER

Chris Balmer

Principal Planner

Customer note

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