Planning Officer Report 08/01003/B

Department of Local Government and the Environment Rheynn Reitys Ynnydagh as y Chymmyltaght Murray House, Mount Havelock, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2SF. Director of Planning & Building Control M.I. McCauley, M.R.T.P.I. Planning application 08/01003/B - Erection of sixteen Public Sector Apartments in four blocks and two First Time Buyer Apartments with associated car parking and landscaping, Land adjacent to Reayrt Y Sheear and Ballanard Road Adjacent to Woodville, Douglas. INTRODUCTION The aim of this statement is to provide background information to the planning application and to set out the views of the Planning Directorate in respect of the proposed development. DESCRIPTION OF APPLICATION SITE The application site comprises a parcel of land within a new residential development off Johnny Watterson Lane. To the north of the application site is the residential property of Woodville and to the west is the public highway of Ballanard Road. Whilst the site is zoned on the Douglas Local Plan as an Area of Open Space or Woodland, particularly agricultural, there has nevertheless been granted planning approval for the development of this land for residential purposes. PROPOSAL This application is seeking permission to develop sixteen public sector apartments in four blocks and two first time buyer apartments with associated car parking and landscaping. The single block, containing 2 apartments, will have a footprint of 9.9m x 7.85m. The height of the block will be 7.85m to the ridge. The double block apartments will contain 4 apartments in each block. The footprint of the double block apartments will be 19.5m x 7.85m. The height of the blocks will be 7.85m to the ridge; however, two of the double blocks will have a different height to the ridge due a stepping down effect; however, the height of the buildings from ground level will still be 7.85m. The development will provide 25 car parking spaces. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY The site formed a small part of a larger area which has been the subject of the following applications: 04/00965/8 - Erection of 6 four bedroom houses, 61 three bedroom houses, 37 two bedroom houses, 18 two bedroom flats, 20 one and two bedroom apartments and 5 residential plots, with roads, footpaths, car parking, play area, and public facility area - granted 11 March 2005. A copy of the decision letter and conditions of the approval is attached to this report. Conditions 3, 9, 11 and 12 of the approval granted in respect of PA 04/00965 required the submission of further details in relation to the road junctions, the landscaping, surface-water disposal, and external finishes. These details were approved under reference 05/02110. A copy of the decision letter and conditions of approval is attached to this report. ## Development Plan Policies Documents of relevance are the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Douglas Local Plan) Order 1998 and the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007. ### Issues The residential use of the site has already been approved albeit in the form of 20 apartments within 4 blocks rather than the 16 now proposed along the 2 additional apartments in an separate block located to the east of the C shaped block of apartments. The total number of apartments to be create on the site will be 18. The principal issues are 1) whether the proposed development will impact on the residential environment of Woodville, 2) whether the proposal will impact on the residential environment of No's 1 and 2 The Abbey Woods, 3) whether the proposal will impact on the visual amenity of locality, and 4) whether the car parking arrangement is adequate for the development. In respect of the impact on the residential environment of Woodville, the application site is located to the south of the neighbouring property. The approved apartment blocks were to be set between 3 m and 9.75 m off the side boundary of Woodville. These apartments had a finished floor level of 75.50 . The proposed apartment blocks are to be set 9 m and 13.5 m off the boundary of Woodville and will have a finished floor level of 74.60 and 75.725 . It is considered that this scheme is a significant improvement to the approved scheme and further reduces any impact on the residential environment of Woodville in terms of the overlooking and loss of privacy. In respect of the car parking area located next to the boundary of Woodville, the approved car park was to be positioned 7.5 m away from the boundary; however, this application is proposing to reposition the car park by 1 m so as to create an 8.5 m separation distance from the turning head of the car park to the boundary of Woodville. It is considered the repositioning will not adversely affect the residential environment of Woodville. In respect of the impact on No. 1 The Abbey Woods, the application site is set to the east of the application site on the opposite side of Ballanard Road. The proposed apartments are set approximately 35 m away from the residential property of No. 1 The Abbey Woods. Due to the significant separation distance between the development and that of No. 1 The Abbey Woods, it is considered that the proposed development will not result in any significant harm to the residential environment of No.1 The Abbey Woods in terms of overlooking and loss of privacy. In respect of the impact on No. 2 The Abbey Woods, the proposed apartments are set approximately 61m away from the residential property of No. 2 The Abbey Woods. Furthermore, No.1 The Abbey Woods is located between the proposed development and No.2 The Abbey Woods. Due to the significant separation distance and the position of No.1 The Abbey Woods between the development and that of No.2 The Abbey Woods, it is considered that the proposed development will not result in any significant harm to the residential environment of No.2 The Abbey Woods in terms of overlooking and loss of privacy. In respect of the visual amenities of Ballanard Road, the proposed development will be set the same distance away from Ballanard Road as the approved development. It should be noted that the height of approved apartment blocks were 10.6m to the ridge. The heights of the proposed apartment blocks in this current application are 7.85m to the ridge. The finished floor levels for the approved and proposed developments are the same for the apartment blocks closest to Ballanard Road. This scheme is a significant reduction compared to the approved scheme, which the Independent Inspector stated that "I do not regard the design of the apartments as being objectionable in themselves, nor can I see that the fact that they are visible in the street scene, and they are of a different form, massing and detailing to the existing development, tells against their design....if the quality of the design of the buildings is of a level which should be expected, I do not consider that the right approach is to seek to hide the development entirely behind screen planting or in the folds of the land. I have heard no detailed architectural criticism of the design of this development generally, or of the apartment block in particular, to recommend against the scheme on this ground." It should be noted that the two blocks nearest to the boundary of Ballanard Road were to be joined together under the approved scheme; however, this scheme will provide a gap between the two blocks. This will help to further reduce the massing and size of the development when viewed from Ballanard Road. It is considered this current proposal is not objectionable due to the fact that the development has actually reduced in scale compared to the approved development. In respect of parking, the car parking standards set out in Appendix 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 indicates that 2 spaces for 2 or more bedrooms should be provided. The total number of car parking spaces based on 8 two bedroom apartments would equate to 36 car parking spaces; however, the proposed development is proposing 25 parking spaces, which is a shortfall of 11 spaces. The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 states that "the car parking standards may be relaxed where the development is within a reasonable distance of an existing or proposed bus route and it can be demonstrated a reduced level of parking will not result in unacceptable on street parking in the locality". The application site is within walking distance of Johnny Watterson's Lane which has a bus route into and out of Douglas. The site is also within walking distance to local primary and secondary schools. The optional car parking shown on the plans could provide sufficient parking, if needed. The reduction in the number of car parking spaces also helps improve the overall design layout for the development from a large area of hardstanding, as approved in the 2004 application, to small areas of parking set with landscaped areas around the proposed apartments. It is considered that the car parking arrangements being proposed are acceptable. ## Conclusion It is recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions as stated below. ### Conditions 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice. 2. This permission relates to the erection of sixteen public sector apartments in four blocks and two first time buyer apartments with associated car parking and landscaping as shown in drawing numbers 2342_A_PL100, 2342_A_PL101 Rev A, 2342_A_PL110, 2342_A_PL111, 2342_A_PL112 and 2342_A_PL113 Rev A and Design Statement from Dandara Contracting Ltd date stamped 14 May 2008. 3. All services including electricity and telephone where installed must be laid underground. 4. No residential unit shall be occupied until there is a direct connection from it to an existing highway, via a footway and carriageway which are adequately lighted can completed up to and including base course level. 5. No works shall be commenced on the penultimate apartment block on the site until the estate roads have been completed. 6. On completion, the proposed development will become a Home Zone; Home Zone features at the access point must be constructed prior to commencement on the penultimate apartment block. 7. The tree/hedge protection measures approved under 05/02110/B granted on 7th April 2006 shall be carried out during the course of the construction. 8. No residential unit hereby permitted shall be occupied until the vehicular and pedestrian means of access have been constructed in accordance with the approved plans. Those means of access shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their respective purpose. 9. No residential unit hereby permitted shall be occupied until the car parking and manoeuvring areas have been provided in accordance with the approved plans, and those areas shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their respective purposes. 10. No residential unit hereby permitted shall be occupied until the bin storage facilities have been provided in accordance with details which have been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority, and those facilities shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their designated purpose. 11. No development shall take place until samples of the block paving to be used shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority and these works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details. 12. No development shall take place until drainage details, including details of the storm cell have been submitted to and approved by the planning authority and thereafter the works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details. 13. No development shall take place until full details of both hard and soft landscaping works have been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority and these works shall be carried out as approved. Details of hard landscaping works shall include boundary treatment, including full details of the proposed railings and brickwork piers; footpaths and hard surfacing materials. The hard landscaping works shall be completed in full accordance with the approved details within 3 months of the first occupation of the residential accommodation hereby permitted; and all plant shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details in the first planting and seeding seasons following that first occupation. Any tree or shrub which within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development dies, is removed or becomes seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with another of similar size and species, unless the planning authority gives written consent to any variations. This statement has been prepared by Mr Ian Brooks BA(Hons) DipTP MRTPI, Planning Officer on behalf of the Planning Directorate of the Department of Local Government and the Environment. Date: 25th July 2008