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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 21/00926/B Applicant : Mr Andrew Watts Proposal : Erection of rear workshop and roofing works Site Address : 26 Albany Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3LE

Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken :

Site Visit :

Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted Date of Recommendation: 22.09.2021 __

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.

C 2. The proposed gate on the rear boundary wall must open inward and not onto the highway.

Reason: to ensure highway safety.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan and the Residential Design Guide.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the submitted documents, site plan and drawing nos. 100 Rev A, 102 Rev A, 103 REV A, 104 Rev A as having been received on 6th August 2021. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE

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1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of 26 Albany Street, Douglas, a two- storey mid-terrace dwelling located on the northeast of Albany Street. The house has a pitched roof. There is a single-storey mono-pitched-roof extension on the northeast elevation of the main dwelling and on the northwest boundary of the site. There is also a smaller single-storey mono-pitched-roof extension on the rear of the extension.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposed work is the demolition of the smaller extension and the erection of a single-storey mono-pitched-roof rear extension with two roof lights. It is approx. 6m wide and projects 8.8m from the rear elevation of the existing extension on the main dwelling. On the southeast elevation, there is a timber door and a double door and two rooflights.

2.2 The proposals also include the erection of a flat roof extension. It will fill in the gap between the proposed extension and the rear boundary wall.

2.3 The southwest elevations will have a timber cladding finish.

2.4 The proposals also includes widening of the rear access and installing a wider entrance gate.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 There is no previous application considered materially relevant to this application.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY 4.1 In terms of local policy, the site lies within an area designated as Predominantly Residential in the Area Plan for the East. The site is also within the Selborne Drive Conservation Area.

4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application:

4.3 General Policy 2 states: "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".

4.4 Environment Policy 35 states: "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

4.5 "8.12.1 Extensions to Dwellings in built-up areas or sites designated for residential use: As a general policy, in built-up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to an existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general."

4.6 Residential Design Guidance (July 2019) provides advice on the design of new houses and extensions to an existing property as well as how to assess the impact of such development on the living conditions of those in adjacent residential property.

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4.7 RDG 4.2 Potential Visual Impact of an Extension upon the Existing House states a pitched roof is preferred to a flat roof, especially when it's publicly visible. However, an exception can possibly be made when the existing property has a flat/low pitched roof design.

4.8 RDG 4.6 Rear Extensions sets out some key considerations. These include the impact on the amenities of those in neighbouring properties such as loss of light and/or overbearing. These impacts can be regulated by designing with the right depth (projection) and location. The section also specifically mentioned that terraced/semi-detached dwellings have the potential for the greatest concern due to the potential of "tunnel effect".

4.9 RDG 5 sets out key considerations regarding architectural details. These include window details and external finishing. The general idea is that the extension should have a similar style with the main dwelling for a coherent appearance unless the clash between modern and traditional design can be handled with elegance.

4.10 RDG 7 sets out key considerations regarding the impact on neighbouring properties. These include the potential loss of light/overshadowing, overbearing impact upon outlook and overlooking resulting in a loss of privacy.

5.0 REPRESENTATION 5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection on this application (01/09/2021).

5.2 DoI Highway Services does not oppose this application (26/08/2021). The comment states there is no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network efficiency and/or parking. Any gates should open inwards.

6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 The main considerations for this application are its impact on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and the amenities of the neighbours.

6.2 The extension is at the rear of the property and is not readily visible to the public. It is designed in a similar style as the existing extension. Therefore, the design is considered acceptable.

6.3 Although flat roof extension are discouraged in the RDG, the proposed flat-roof extension is only to fill in the gap and is of small enough scale to not have any impact on the character of the area. Therefore, it is considered that the proposed would preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

6.4 The projection for the extension is approx. 8m while the RDG states rear extensions for terraced and semi-detached dwelling should not exceed 3m to avoid the tunnelling effect, meaning overbearing and reducing outlook are likely for the neighbouring property. However, the neighbouring property already have an outrigger that restrict their own outlook of the rear elevation of the main dwelling. It is considered that there is no impact on the outlook of the neighbouring property. As the extension is only single story, it is considered that there is no overbearing effect on the neighbouring properties. Therefore, there is no tunnelling effect created by the proposed extension and the projection is considered acceptable.

6.5 The extension is single storey and no new vantage point is created. Therefore, it is not considered that this is an unacceptable level of overlooking.

6.6 As there is no objection from Highway Services, it is considerd that impact of the widened rear access is acceptable as long as a condition is attached that the gate must only open inwards to ensure highway safety.

7.0 CONCLUSION

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7.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan and the Residential Design Guide. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval.

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 which 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 the Head of Development Management 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 : 22.09.2021

Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER

Stephen Butler

Head of Development Management

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