26 July 2006 · Delegated - Director of Planning and Building Control (M.I. McCauley)
17, Cronkbourne Village, Cronkbourne, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM4 4qg
The proposal involved replacing existing draughty timber front doors on six single-storey terraced dwellings (Nos. 12-17 Cronkbourne Village) with aluminium doors designed to match the existing boarded pattern, citing benefits of better insulation, security, and low maintenance.
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The Director refused the application because 'the proposed doors, by reason of their design and material of construction, are considered to be inappropriate given the Registered Status of the property…
Alterations and Extensions to a Registered Building
Policy RB/S from Planning Policy Statement 1/01 governs alterations to registered buildings, requiring materials and design sympathetic to historic character. The proposal failed as aluminium doors were deemed inappropriate despite matching pattern, harming the terrace's appearance where detailing is limited to doors/windows. Conservation Officer advised hardwood timber preferable.
Recommend approval
no objection
Door widths need to be at least 800mm wide; building needs to be accessible to wheelchair users (no formal objection stated)
Braddan Parish Commissioners recommended approval of the door replacement, while Manx National Heritage, Isle of Man Victorian Society, and SPMC&E objected due to heritage and character concerns, and Disability Access Office raised accessibility issues.
Key concern: replacement of timber doors with aluminium inappropriate for Registered Buildings
Braddan Parish Commissioners
SupportThe Commissioners would recommend to the Planning Committee that the application be approved.
SPMCE
ObjectionWe VERY STRONGLY OBJECT to allowing it to break out here.
Manx National Heritage
Objectionwe believe that the replacement of timber doors in aluminium is inappropriate.; vertically boarded hardwood door, with insulation on the internal face if necessary
Isle of Man Victorian Society
Objectionreplacements should be as near the original design as possible.; The application should therefore be refused.
Disability Access Office
No CommentDoor widths need to be at least 800mm wide.; The building needs to be accessible to unassisted wheelchair users.
Conditions requested: Door widths need to be at least 800mm wide.
The original applications sought to replace existing front timber doors with aluminium doors matching the pattern on 12-17 Cronkbourne Village, registered buildings (RB 92), refused by the Planning Committee on 28 July 2006 due to inappropriate design and material harming the appearance given the registered status. The appellant argued aluminium doors would match existing ones, provide better weatherproofing, security and insulation for elderly residents, noted prior approval for aluminium rear doors, and emphasised the buildings' registration was for group value as an industrial village rather than original architectural details. The Council defended the refusal citing Policy RB/5, objections from Isle of Man Victorian Society and Manx National Heritage, and preference for timber doors. The inspector, after a site visit, found the case finely balanced but concluded on balance that aluminium doors' different texture and machined appearance would erode the historic character of the modest terrace, dismissing the rear door precedent and recommending refusal. The recommendation was agreed, upholding the refusal.
Precedent Value
This appeal shows that even for modest registered buildings valued for group/historic context, front-facing elements must prioritise traditional materials to preserve sense of history; prior approvals for non-visible areas carry limited weight, and practical benefits alone are insufficient against heritage policy.
Inspector: Terrence Kemmann-Lane
