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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 21/00867/B Applicant : Mr Charles Kennish Proposal : Installation of replacement windows, rear access steps and rear fencing Site Address : 6 Albany Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3LE

Planning Officer: Miss Lucy Kinrade Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level :

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.09.2021 __

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 application accords with Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan, Section 18 of the Act and the principles of Planning Circular 1/98.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to drawing numbers PA/01, PA/02 and PA/03 all date received 27/07/2021

__

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

THE SITE

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1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of 6 Albany Street, Douglas, a two storey terraced property on the east side of the road. Albany Street. The rear of the property is accessed by a service lane also running to the rear of a number of dwellings fronting Woodbourne Road.

1.2 The terrace here is characterised along the frontages by the small walled gardens between the dwellings and the footpath, the bay windows at ground floor and the architectural string course detailing around the windows. The application dwelling and its adjoining nearest 3 neighbours also have additional corbel details at eaves level of the main house and bay window.

1.3 The existing windows on the front elevation appear to be fixed casements, at top floor both windows openings have been boarded up. Information submitted with the application indicates that the property has been subject to fire damage.

1.4 The existing front door is timber and has a glazed top half and two solid panel design to the base.

1.5 At the rear the dwelling has a two storey outrigger matching with the adjoining neighbour, this is installed with a number of windows throughout, some are appear to be the original timber casement windows with 2 over 2 glazing bars, others are UPVC with internal glazing bars, others UPVC with top openers.

1.6 Looking to the nearby area, the predominant window treatment across the frontage of the terrace appears to be mostly upvc, with top openers. On the adjacent side of the road the windows are predominantly sliding sash. At the rear of the terrace the windows are again mostly UPVC top opening.

THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks approval for the installation of replacement windows to the whole of the rear elevation and replacement windows to the top floor of the front elevation only, replacement of to a rear external staircase and the installation of fencing and rear gate within an existing opening in the rear boundary wall.

2.2 The proposed windows throughout are to be UPVC top opening casements, with exception to the ground floor bay windows on the front elevation which are to remain unchanged as per the detail stated on drawing number PA/02.

2.3 The front door is to be replaced with a new timber front door in a design matching the existing.

2.4 Timber fencing matching the height of the existing rear boundary wall is to be installed across the existing opening and installed with a pedestrian gate as existing.

PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 This property has not been subject to any previous applications.

PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY 4.1 In terms of local plan policy, the application site is predominately residential under The Area Plan for the East 2020. The application site falls within the Selborne Drive Conservation Area.

4.2 Section 18 of the Town and Country Planning Act and Environment Policy 35 both outline that development in a Conservation Area should preserve or enhance the character and appearance of that area. General Policy 2 also contains a number of general standards towards acceptable development that would also be relevant in this case. In addition to these two

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policies consideration should also be given to Planning Circular 1/98 which provides guidance policies in respect of the alteration or replacement of windows.

REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the Government's website. This report contains summaries only.

5.1 Douglas Borough Council - No objection (12/08/2021).

5.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services - Do not oppose (11/08/2021).

5.3 No comments received from neighbouring properties.

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 Conservation Area and the individual property.

Windows 6.2 It is clear from the site visit that in this particular section of the terrace there is an prevalent use of UPVC windows most of which with top openers, Google streetview taken in 2010 also shows the existing site dwelling installed with top opening UPVC casements. While the preferred method of opening for the windows here would be sliding sash, as installed in those dwelling on the opposite side of the road, given the specific circumstances of this dwelling and the surrounding terrace it is not considered that in this case the top opening casements on the front elevation would be unacceptable.

6.3 Planning Circular 1/98 outlies a level of flexibility in the use of alternative windows styles at the rear where they are not prominent from public view, while these windows can be seen from the rear service lane, in a similar instance to the front elevation the predominant windows installed across the rears are also top opening casements, so minded of the existing inconsistent arrangement at the rear, the proposal is likely to bring about a more uniform appearance and would not be so out of keeping with the neighbours as to cause detriment or harm from any public view.

6.4 Overall it is considered that the proposed replacement windows will likely result in an overall negligible impact on the appearance of the existing dwelling and streetscene, and the character and appearance of the Conservation Area is to be preserved.

Door 6.5 The proposal seeks replacement for the existing door with a new timber door in a like for like style and design. The proposal in this respect will preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area

Rear External Stair The existing rear boundary wall already limits views into the rear yard and to the existing stair, the changes to the staircase will likely go unknown to most and are also not expected to result in any new or harmful visual impacts on the Conservation Area and the overall character and appearance is likely to be preserved on a whole.

Rear Fencing and Gate During a site visit it was noted that there is an existing opening in the rear boundary wall which is current filled with a single pedestrian gate alongside which is a 'homemade' ply sheet fence panel. While some dwellings have a garage door installed in their adjacent openings, others are mostly walled and with a small pedestrian timber gate. The proposal would undoubtedly introduce a new timber feature in the rear lane, but minded of the location at the rear, coupled

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with the run down state of the existing gate and rear boundary, that on balance the small section of fencing in this specific case would not be so adverse as to impact the overall character and appearance of the wider Conservation Area which is predominantly formed throughout the fronts of the dwellings.

CONCLUSION 7.1 Given the above reasons, it is concluded that the proposals would have an overall acceptable impact on the existing dwelling and would preserved the overall character and appearance of the Conservation Area in line with Ep35 of the Strategic Plan, Section 18 of the Act and the principles of Planning Circular 1/98.

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 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: 28.09.2021

Determining officer

Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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