Demolition of existing building and erection of an apartment block to provide eight apartments with associated car parking

Refusal Reasons

• ✗The demolition of the building within the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area would be contrary to Policy CA/6 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and Environment Policies 35 and 39 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 in that no proper assessment has been carried out and submitted to assess the merits/justification for the demolition of the building. It is therefore considered that the demolition of the building would be premature and would adversely affect the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
• ✗The proposed development would be contrary to General Policy 2, Environment Policies 35 and 42 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 by reason of its height, design, massing and external appearance and will introduce a prominent and incongruous structure that will be out of keeping with the locality and would not preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area, to the detriment of the visual amenities of the locality. In particular, the inclusion of a flat roof within a streetscene characterised generally by pitched roofs would be unsympathetic to the appearance of the streetscene and would emphasise the height of the building, and the provision of a series of garage doors at pedestrian level would be unattractive and out of keeping with the domestic scale of surrounding buildings at this level.
• ✗The proposed development would be contrary to General Policy 2 and Housing Policy 6 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 by reason of its height, design, massing, siting and close proximity to No.1 Switzerland Terrace in that it would result in overshadowing, loss of light, would be overbearing and a visual intrusion to the occupiers of No.1 Switzerland Terrace.