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                                      21/01214/B                                     Page  1  of  3

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 21/01214/B Applicant : Mr Stephen Duke Proposal : Creation of driveway and vehicular access (retrospective) Site Address : 8 Norwood Drive Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 5HJ

Planning Officer: Mrs Vanessa Porter Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Refused Date of Recommendation: 14.12.2021 __

Reasons for Refusal

R : Reasons for Refusal O : Notes attached to reasons

R 1. The application seeks the loss of more than 50% of the front landscaped garden and front boundary wall which would be unduly detrimental to the appearance of the street scene and to the individual property contrary to General Policy 2 (b), (c) & (g) of the Isle Of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and the Residential Design Guide 2021. __

Interested Person Status - Additional Persons

None __

Officer’s Report

APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The site is within the residential curtilage of 8 Norwood Drive, Douglas which is situated to the north of the Norwood Drive cul-de-sac.

1.2 The property is a two storey semi-detached dwelling and prior to the works done to the front had a dash rendered wall to the front boundary with hedging on either side boundary. There was a paved path from the front gate situated to the side of the dwelling.

PROPOSAL 2.1 The current planning application seeks retrospective approval for the removal of the front boundary wall and creation of a driveway which spans the whole of the front garden.

PLANNING HISTORY

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                                      21/01214/B                                     Page  2  of  3

3.1 There is one previous application on the site which was PA19/00064/B and was for the "Creation of a vehicular access with associated hard standing" and was Permitted with the following condition;

"No development shall be commenced on site until a hard landscape scheme has been first submitted to and approved in writing by the Department showing details of the hard surfacing of the proposed driveway. All hard landscaping works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details and maintained thereafter.

Reason: In the interests of Highway Safety and the appearance of the street scene, in compliance with IOMSP General Policy 2."

PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as Predominantly Residential on the Area Plan for the East. The property is not within a Conservation Area or a Flood Risk Zone.

4.2 Given the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider paragraph 8.12.1 and the general design standards set out in General Policy 2 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 along with the general advice set out in 6.3 of the Residential Design Guide in respect of driveways and car parking and not removing over 50% of the garden area.

REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 The following representations can be found online in full;

5.2 Highway Services have commented on the application and state that there is an adequate driveway length in excess of 5.5m and enough space for parking and pedestrians. Whilst this is the case there has been no information supplied regarding water run off on the site. (07.10.21)

5.3 Douglas Corporation have considered the application and state no objection. (22.10.21)

ASSESSMENT 6.1 The principle of parking within the site was assessed within the previously approved application, PA19/00064/B, as such the main consideration of this application is the removal of lawned/landscaped garden and the boundary wall.

6.2 The Norwood Drive cul-de-sac can be defined by the reasonably sized front gardens, all of which have parking and lawn/landscaped gardening within them. There are some properties which have a larger parking area with reduced lawn/landscaped gardens and visa versa.

6.3 When looking at the proposal it is necessary to note that the Department seeks that at least 50% of the lawned/landscaped areas are preserved to ensure that the frontage of properties are not totally hard surfaced. The reasoning for this is to ensure that the character of the streetscene is retained, and avoid frontages of properties appearing as one large car parking area which would have an adverse impact the visual amenities of the streetscene and the individual property.

6.4 In the case of this application, the whole of the frontage has been replaced with hard standing and the removal of the front boundary wall which is a traditional form, which separates the property from the highway. The proposal has also reduced significantly any opportunity for landscaping within the front area which would have a beneficial impact upon the visual amenities of the streetscene and the individual property.

6.5 Furthermore Section 6.3 of the Residential Design Guide (2021) states, "6.3.1 Front gardens provide an important physical boundary between a dwelling and the public realm. They can enhance the privacy of a dwelling, as well as filtering out the noise and air pollutants produced by pedestrians and motorised traffic.

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6.3.2 Front gardens with perimeter walls, hedges, or fences can offer safer spaces in which children can play and they often contribute to the natural habitat of wildlife. Urban green space has a positive effect on health and wellbeing, by enhancing sensory and aesthetic awareness."

6.6 Accordingly, this proposal would result in exactly what the Department seeks to prevent, as such the proposal would be contrary not only to the Residential Design Guide, but also General Policy 2 (b), (c) & (g).

CONCLUSION 7.1 Overall, it is considered the proposal would fail to comply with the relevant policies of General Policy 2 (b), (c) & (g) of the Isle Of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and the Residential Design Guide 2021 therefore it is recommended that the application be refused.

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 the Director of Planning and Building Control 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 : Refused Date : 23.12.2021

Determining officer Signed : J CHANCE

Jennifer Chance

Director of Planning and Building Control

Customer note

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