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The application site comprises of the residential curtilage of a detached dwelling located on Barroose Road in Baldrine, Lonan. The site is approximately 250 metres along from The Liverpool Arms public house.
The proposed development comprises of the erection of a two-storey building housing a triple garage and what is described as a games room above. The basic dimensions of the proposed building are 10.5 metres in length, 6.0 metres in depth, 4.1 metres to eaves height and 6.6 to ridge height.
The application site has been the subject of two previous planning applications that I consider to be of relevance to the assessment of this current planning application.
Planning application 97/2115 sought approval for the erection of a replacement dwelling and garage block with office over and alterations to vehicular access on the application site. The application was initially considered and refused on the 8th April 1998, with the initial refusal decision notice issued on the 23rd April 1998. The refusal was confirmed at review on the 26th June 1998, with the review refusal decision notice issued on the 3rd July 1998. The Minister accepted the recommendation of the appointed Planning Inspector and confirmed the refusal at appeal on the 1st December 1998.
Planning application 02/00153/B sought approval for the erection of a replacement dwelling on the application site. The application was initially considered and approved on the 31st May 2002, with the initial approval decision notice issued on the 6th June 2002.
Lonan Parish Commissioners have no objection to the planning application. The Department of Transport Highways Division considers there to be no adverse traffic impacts arising from the proposed development. The Fire Safety Officer makes no comment on the merits of the planning application but recommends the installation of smoke detectors.
The application site is covered by the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan. Under this document the application site does not have site specific designation but is within the open countryside, where the use is generally taken to be open space in agricultural use, and also an area of high landscape value and scenic significance. There are no policies within the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan that I consider to be of specific relevance to the assessment of this planning application.
The application site does contain an existing garage and whilst I have no real issue with the principle of replacing this with new garaging I do have some concerns regarding the development that is proposed by this planning application.
Principally, I have concerns regarding the size of the proposed building as it is apparent to me that its size is not too dissimilar to that of a dwelling. Indeed, the building proposed by this planning application is only slightly smaller than the garage proposed by planning application 97/2115, which was also a triple garage with space above. This previous building measured 12.2 metres in length, 6.3 metres in depth and 6.9 metres to ridge height.
The report of the appointed Planning Inspector into the appeal against the refusal of 97/2115 was primarily concerned with the size of the proposed dwelling in relation to the dwelling being replaced. Specific mention of the proposed garage building is limited to a reference to the reduction in its height not necessarily achieving the required overall reduction in scale of development.
The subsequent planning application, 02/00153/B, which reduced the size and design of the proposed replacement dwelling and was approved did not include any garaging. I believe that it is reasonable to say that the dwelling that has now been built on the application site is a substantial four bedroom property. The basic dimensions of the dwelling are 14.0 metres in length, 8.4 metres in depth, 5.0 metres to eaves height and 8.6 metres to the ridge height.
In terms of assessing this planning application I would suggest that the main issues are therefore an assessment of visual impact of the overall proposed building and an assessment of the scale of development against the existing dwelling contained within the application site.
Visually, as the dwelling is visible within the surrounding area I would have to conclude that the proposed building would also be visible. This comes back to my earlier stated concern regarding the similarities in size of the proposed building to that of a new dwelling. Clearly, this would create an undesirable situation.
Looking at the scale of the proposed development against the existing dwelling it is clear that the difference in size between the proposed building and the existing dwelling is relatively modest. As such I would suggest that the proposed building will for all intents and purposes appear as a building with similar dimensions to that of another dwelling on the application site, which I consider to be an undesirable situation. I would suggest that single storey garaging would not raise the same concerns.
Accordingly, I recommend that the planning application be refused on the basis of its visual impact and its scale in relation to the existing dwelling and the application site.
I consider that the following meet the criteria of Government Circular 1/06 and should be afforded interested party status:
Recommended Decision: Refused
Date of Recommendation: 16.02.2006
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal O : Notes attached to refusals
The development proposed by the planning application is unacceptable by reason that:
a) the erection of a two-storey building of the dimensions proposed will have a visual impact and appearance within the surrounding area that is tantamount to the erection of a new dwelling; and
b) the erection of a building of the size proposed is out of scale with the associated dwelling and application site.
This refusal is without prejudice to any subsequent planning application that seeks approval for the erection of replacement single-storey garaging on the application site.
I confirm that this decision accords with Government Circular No 57/01 (Delegation of Functions to Director of Planning and Building Control).
Decision Made: Approval by delegation Date: 3/3/06
Signed: M. I. McCauley Director of Planning and Building Control
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