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Approval in Principle for the Change of Use from a Hotel to Residential Apartments with Associated Parking
A statement for the Change of Use: Trevelyan Hotel Site Queen's Promenade Douglas Isle of Man IM2 4NE by JTM Architecture The Basement 16 Derby Road Douglas Isle of Man IM2 3ET
CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION 2 SITE APPRAISAL 3 PROPOSAL 4 POLICY CONSIDERATIONS & COMPLIANCE 5 CONCLUSION 6 APPENDIX A 7
This Planning Statement is a support document to apply, in principle, for the change of use of a Hotel into Residential Apartments with associated parking.
Planning Application 89/01524/A was previously Approved to erect residential apartments with associated car parking on this property, however this Application is now extant. This new Application seeks similar Approval in principle however it is understood that current Planning Policies have changed, and this document will address these changes.
It will assess the current layout of the property and identify the challenges to modernise the look and use of the building to bring it up to modern standards as residential apartments.
The purpose of this Planning Statement is to propose the conversion of the site from a hotel into approximately twenty apartments with associated parking and bicycle storage.
The Trevelyan Hotel is an traditional style hotel with shared bathrooms which are no longer seen as appropriate in modern hotel design, particularly given well documented virus spread seen around the world.
The Approval of Planning Application 89/01524/A identified the retention of the front façade of the building as an important factor in the success of the proposals and this retention will form the basis of this application. The front façade is part of a terrace of hotels which would be difficult to demolish without causing damage to the remaining facades of the other hotels.
The open core of the hotel will be demolished and infilled to maximise space for the new apartments, given the thick stone walls and irregular shape of the existing building making it impractical to reuse.
The rear of property will act as a pedestrian access/egress route as well as a refuse/recycling collection point as it is currently.
The property is within walking distance of Douglas Town Centre bus, rail/electric trams or ferry links as well places of work. There are also bus stops immediately on Central Promenade where busses travel into Douglas or connect to the Southern and Eastern parts of the Island at the Bus Station.
Busses also travel North, through Onchan and onto Laxey, Maughold and Ramsey. These travel options, including cycling, ensure that the location of the property is not dependant on car use. The transport links to this building do not restrict its use as Apartments because it is anticipated that the occupants will use public transport or walk to their destination, should a parking space within the car park not be available. Those who use this type of accommodation will have secure access to the building and their own apartment.
The location of this site is a suitable central location for apartment living which is commonplace along Douglas promenade.
The building use-class will need to be changed from hotel to residential, however there are several examples of previous hotel demolition and rebuild apartments close to the site along the Douglas promenade.
In line with General Policy 2, which identifies the maintenance of the building fabric and context as an important factor in development, very little will be changed on the external façade of the building, albeit access to basement parking on the front and a more modern rear façade.
Re-use of an existing building will satisfy Strategic Policy’s 1, 2 & 3 where it is encouraged to re-use existing resources/buildings to maintain the character of our towns. This is specifically stated in Strategic Policy 8 where it refers to utilising existing building fabric for tourist accommodation.
Environment Policy 10 refers to the requirement of a flood risk assessment, however the recently developed promenade works have updated the drainage system and aco drains will be situated at the top of the top of the access ramp and through any existing basement drainage. In this instance the application would also adhere to Environment Policy 12 & 13.
The fabric of the building will be maintained at the front in order to maintain the existing architectural features of this terrace of buildings, whilst the existing core void will be infilled to create structural stability to the sides of the existing properties either side of the application site in line with Environment Policy 23.
Under Environment Policies 34, 35, 39, 42 & 43 the stonework and architectural features of the front façade will be maintained in their current form, however a more modern cavity construction will be used to for the proposed external walls in order to improve the thermal capacity of the property. This will allow the option to use modern structure for the stability of the proposal as well as the buildings which flank the proposal site. The render finish and slate roof will match that of the original building and those finishes of the neighbouring property, including more thermal UPVC windows for new installations.
The proposal could have in excess of approximately 20 apartments and therefore, under Housing Policy 5, 25% of these apartments will need to be deemed affordable housing.
The existing tourism use of the Trevelyan has been affected by the current Covid pandemic, although this style of hotel, without en-suite bedrooms, has made the hotel less popular than more modern, newly built or refurbished hotels that offer a variety of facilities for the modern traveller or visitor. The stone construction and above ground drainage of the building make it uneconomical to develop given the awkward, core shape of the property.
Development of the proposal site into apartments can support tourism by permitting the use of private residential properties as tourist accommodation under Business Policy 13, an this could be particularly important during the TT & Festival of Motorcycling periods when peak numbers of tourists are attracted to the island.
The proposal is within a central location with access to transport amenities which also caters for parking and bicycle storage to offer a number of travel options for the people who own or use the apartments. This is in line with the requirements of Transport Policy 1.
In conclusion, the use of an existing building within a central Douglas location is a feasible option for the partial demolition and conversion to apartments, given the buildings size and proximity to local and national transport links as well as the previous development undertaken along Douglas Promenade.
The Island offers tourists a variety of options for where they wish to be accommodated, from camping to more modern Hotels, with the addition of medium scale options such as Guest Houses still being viable as a mark of the traditional tourist experience.
The proposed apartments can still be used as tourist accommodation or homestay, however ‘Glamping’, yurts, boat stays and the reigniting of holiday accommodation outside of Douglas have changed the scope of attraction for this type of hotel and therefore significant change and development is required to maintain and utilise the existing building.
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