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21/01574/B Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 21/01574/B Applicant : Mr Ian Watling Proposal : Widening of an existing vehicular access Site Address : Garlenda 23 Fairway Drive Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 2BB
Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken : 09.02.2022 Site Visit : 09.02.2022 Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 11.03.2022 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.
Reason: To comply with Article 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and Residential Design Guide July 2021.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to the documents, planning statement, photos, location plan, site plan and driveway plan as having been received on 12th January 2022. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of Garlenda, 23 Fairway Drive, Ramsey, a two-storey detached dwelling located on the northwest of Fairway Drive.
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1.2 The front garden is a lawn with a driveway at the north end of the site. The level reduces from the highway to the dwelling. The lawn is the same level as the pavement with a retaining wall between the lawn and the footpath around the dwelling.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposal is the widening of the existing driveway towards the southwest for 3.2m.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 There is no previous application considered materially relevant to this application.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific 4.1 The site is within an area designated as predominantly residential in the Ramsey Location Plan 1998.
4.2 No planning constraint overlaps with the site.
Strategic Policy 4.3 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application:
Principles of Developments 4.4 General Policy 2, which provides an overall requirement for all development, states: "Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development: (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (g)
does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."
Design 4.5 Strategic Policy 3 and Environment Policy 42 both focus on the visual design of developments, they state that the design should take account of the local materials, character and identity of its immediate locality, in terms of buildings and landscape features. Focused on landscaping.
4.6 Strategic Policy 5 states: "New development, including individual buildings, should be designed so as to make a positive contribution to the environment of the Island."
Other 4.7 Community Policy 7 and 10 state that the design of new development must, as far as is reasonable and practicable, pay due regards to existing best practise such as to prevent criminal and anti-social behaviour and outbreak and spread of fire.
4.8 Infrastructure Policy 5 states that "Development proposals should incorporate methods for water conservation and management measures to conserve the Island's water resources."
PPS and NPD 4.9 No Planning Policy Statement or National Policy Directive is applicable to this application.
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5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Strategy and Guidance 5.1 The Residential Design Guide (July 2021) provides guidance on the design of new houses and extensions to an existing property, as well as how to assess the impact of such development on the living conditions of those in adjacent residential property.
5.2 RDG 6 "The Wider Site" sets out some key considerations regarding boundary treatment, trees, the driveway, and the front garden.
5.3 RDG 6.3 "Front Gardens and Driveways" states that front gardens provide an important physical boundary between a dwelling and the public realm. While increased car ownership results in increased demand for car parking space, the creation of an off-street parking space normally requires the provision of new access, which can result in the loss of at least one on- street parking space. Proposals, which do not result in a net benefit, are unlikely to be supported.
5.4 Manual for Manx Roads provides best practise and technical details of how to ensure highways are accessible, safe, inclusive and serviceable.
5.5 Appendix C Parking Standards sets out technical details of different parking spaces. C 6.19 states that for a space parallel and adjacent to the footway, they should be 6.0m long and 2.0m wide.
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 Ramsey Town Commissioners has no objection to this application (16.02.2022).
6.2 DoI Highway Services does not oppose this application (18.02.2022). The comment states that there is "no significant road safety or highway network efficiency issues".
7.0 ASSESSMENT 7.1 The main consideration for this application are the principle of the development, its impact on the character and street scene of the area and on highway safety.
Principle of the Development 7.2 As the development is to increase parking spaces, the foundation of such development is the net increase of parking spaces for the street as a whole, as indicated in the RDG. This means after the development, the sum of the number of parking spaces created off-street and the number of parking spaces remaining on-street should be more than the number of existing parking spaces available on street.
7.3 The road is available for parking on both sides. The proposal is removing 3.2m wide on available parallel parking space, which could lead to the removal of one on-street parking space. However, given the length of the road and its predominantly residential nature, it is considered that there is no factual loss of on-street parking space.
7.4 The proposal will create one parking space. The proposed parking space satisfies the recommendation in the Manual for Manx Road. It is also to be noted that the additional parking space is for the enjoyment of the applicant only.
7.5 The next test is whether over 50% of the existing front lawned/landscaped garden will be lost. After the proposal, the driveway still counts for less than 50% of the front garden. Therefore, it is principally acceptable.
Visual Amenities
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7.6 RDG also states that for the replacement of the front garden with parking space, there is a need to weigh the benefit created to the applicant against the impact of the changed surface on the property and its surroundings. Such replacement should only be allowed when there is little negative impact, or the benefits overwhelm the negative impacts created as "front gardens provide an important physical boundary between a dwelling and the public realm".
7.7 The most important consideration for such a proposal is whether it will shift the boundary of the public realm. If so, whether such a shift is acceptable? For this application, this transition is vague but clear: road - pavement - garden - dwelling. The proposed driveway, although reducing the width of the garden, is still subordinate to the lawn area. Therefore, it is considered that there is no negative impact on the character and street scene of the area.
Highway Safety 7.8 As Highway Services does not oppose this application, it is considered that the proposal would have a neutral impact on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways and therefore is not acceptable.
8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and Residential Design Guide July 2021. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval.
9.0 INTEREST PERSON STATUS 9.1 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 which 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.
9.2 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 Head of Development Management 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 : Permitted Date : 23.03.2022
Determining officer Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
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Head of Development Management
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