Loading document...
The site represents a small parcel of land to the rear of 2 and 4 The Crofts, accessed by a lane beside "GArey Voallit" past a small number of garages.
The site falls within an area of "Private Woodland and Playing Field" on the 1991 adopted Castletown Plan (the "playing field" being part of the Buchan School). In the emerging plan the area is identified as Proposed Residential in Parkland. This plan has yet to be adopted by Tynwald. Other proposals for development of this general area have been resisted for various reasons including 04/0289 for the principle of three detached dwellings with garages, refused for reasons relating to the designation of the site as woodland and the potential loss of amenities therefrom. This included the site now the subject of this application.
The SPMCE recommend that this site is tandem development and is not acceptable.
DoT have no objections to the application (they raised no objection last time) although whether visibility splays to their requirements are available at the junction of the lane with The Crofts, is debatable.
Local residents express concern regarding the access and land use designation change, to which they are opposed.
Castletown Commissioners are opposed to the development which they describe as "tandem" and the designation. They also refer to the sealed rising main which crosses the site and would make development difficult.
The applicant draws a distinction between this site and that of the previous application, stating that the application site is distinct from that other site, once being a separate site, that there are no trees on the site and is in fact not woodland. As access to the garages is already along this lane, the applicant argues that access is satisfactory.
Defer for site visit for impact on neighbours and access.
The access is good: the plan is deceptive in that there is plenty of space to enable a vehicle to get to the site without a problem or adverse impact on other properties or parked vehicles. Access onto The Crofts, however is poor: visibility is available only when the front of the emerging vehicle is fully across the pavement and almost onto the road. However the DoT has not raised any objection to this or to the previous applications.
The site is visually not part of the other field which was the subject of PA 04/0289. However the site is designated as Woodland, as is the larger area and it would be inequitable to consider this without having some regard to that designation and the previous decision in this respect. There is also the matter of removing the private garden space of 4, The Crofts whose immediate rear garden now forms part of the curtilage of number 2 and is not available to number 4.
It seems to me that the development of the area is backland development which would increase the usage of a narrow lane, to the detriment of other users of the lane and which offers poor visibility to drivers emerging from the lane onto The Crofts. It would also remove the only existing private garden space available to number 4, The Crofts. It is clearly not Woodland although there are attractive large shrubs and small trees within the plot which contribute to the amenities of this overall backland area.
Recommended Decision : Refused
Date of Recommendation : 15.02.2005
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
R 1.
The development of the site would constitute backland development of land which is not presently designated for development. This development would increase the usage of a narrow lane, to the detriment of other users of the lane, a lane which offers limited visibility to drivers emerging from the lane onto The Crofts. The development of this site would also remove the only existing private amenity space available to 4, The Crofts.
Decision Made : ... Committee Meeting Date : ...
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal
View as Markdown