29 January 2008 · Delegated - Senior Planning Officer under Article 3(13) of the Town and Country (Development Procedure) Order 2005
Old Chapel, Glen Auldyn, Ramsey, Isle Of Man, IM7 2ae
The proposal involved constructing a sun room extension on the front/western side of The Old Chapel, replacing most of the existing yard area, with a flat roof providing a terrace accessed from an existing balcony. The site is in a residential-zoned area of high landscape value but not a conservation area.
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The officer concluded the flat-roofed extension would not respect the form or design of the existing traditional property, which retains chapel character with pitched roofs and gable ends despite prio…
General Policy 2
Requires development to respect site/surroundings in siting, layout, scale, form, design per (b), and not adversely affect character of townscape per (c). Officer tested against chapel's pitched/gabled form; flat roof fails (b) as incongruous despite some arched features. No design brief in Area Plan, but Circular 3/91 reinforces unacceptability of flat roofs in countryside/residential settings.
Environment Policy 2
Listed in policy section but not explicitly tested; site in high landscape/coastal value area, but refusal focused on building design not landscape impact.
Agreed Unanimous / no objection
Agree
No objection
Note received; no comment on merits, requests informative note on smoke detection
Lezayre Parish Commissioners unanimously agreed with the sun room extension application; Isle of Man Fire & Rescue Service recommended smoke detection installation; Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside & Environment listed the application without comment.
Lezayre Parish Commissioners
SupportConstruction of a sun room extension with roof terrace over. Agreed Unanimous.
Isle of Man Fire & Rescue Service
Conditional No ObjectionThe installation of mains wired, interconnected domestic smoke detection conforming to BS 5466 : Part 1 : 2000, and installed to conform with BS 5839 : Part 6 : 1995, is recommended in accordance with Section 1 of the Building Regulations 2000 – Approved Document B.
Conditions requested: The installation of mains wired, interconnected domestic smoke detection conforming to BS 5466 : Part 1 : 2000, and installed to conform with BS 5839 : Part 6 : 1995, is recommended in accordance with Section 1 of the Building Regulations 2000 – Approved Document B.
Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside & Environment
No CommentThe original application 07/02158/B for a sun room extension with flat roof and roof terrace was refused on 22 January 2008 by the Director of Planning and Building Control for adversely impacting the traditional appearance and design of the former chapel, contrary to General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan and Planning Circular 3/91. The appellant argued the design was sensitive, incorporated chapel-style features, enhanced living space, and had no objections from neighbours, parish, or other parties, citing prior approvals for similar flat-roofed elements. The planning authority defended the refusal on design grounds. The inspector, after a site visit, found the extension's scale, flat roof, and road-front position incongruous and out of scale with the traditional dwelling, conflicting with General Policy 2, despite some chapel-style details; need for more space was not compelling. The inspector recommended the appeal be dismissed.
Precedent Value
This appeal shows that detailed stylistic references to a building's history are insufficient if the extension's scale and form dominate the street scene and conflict with GP2. Future applicants should prioritise proportionality to the host building over thematic details, especially for prominent roadside additions to traditional structures.
Inspector: Graham F Self MA MSc FRTPI
