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The application site comprises of land that is located to the west of Gardeners Lane in Ramsey.
The proposed development comprises the erection of residential development and underground sewage pumping station on the application site. The planning application effectively constitutes an amendment of the development permitted under approved previous planning application 03/01846/B and 08/01319/B.
The application site and surrounding land has been the subject of a number of planning applications, two of which are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application:
Planning application 03/01846/B sought planning approval for the residential estate development comprising of roads, plots, sewers and layout for 26 semi detached dwellings, 14 terraced dwellings, 10 apartments, 1 children's nursery, 1 public house with managers accommodation and 2 lock up retail units on land that includes the application site for the current planning application. This previous planning application was granted planning approval on the 25th January 2007.
Planning application 08/01319/B sought planning approval for amendments to dwelling design and dwelling/fence/driveway positions on approved residential development (03/01846/B) on land that includes the application site for the current planning application. This previous planning application was granted planning approval on the 15th September 2008.
Ramsey Town Commissioners have no objection to the planning application.
The Department of Transport Highways Division do not oppose the planning application.
The Department of Local Government and the Environment's Estates and Housing Directorate express an interest in the planning application and advise that the level of affordable provision within the proposed development meets their requirements.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Inland Fisheries Section express an interest in the planning application in respect of the distance of development from the adjacent watercourse and the protection of the watercourse during the construction works.
In terms of land use planning, the application site is within the area covered by the West Ramsey Development Framework. This framework document was written in response to the provisions of the written statement (Planning Circular 2/99) that supports the Ramsey Local Plan, which requires that the "development of this land should be undertaken only in accordance with an approved scheme for the whole area".
In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 contains three policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.
"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:
"New housing will be located primarily within our existing towns and villages, or, where appropriate, in sustainable urban extensions of these towns and villages where identified in adopted Area Plans: otherwise new housing will be permitted in the countryside only in the following exceptional circumstances:
"In granting planning permission on land zoned for residential development or in predominantly residential areas the Department will normally require that 25% of provision should be made up of affordable housing. This policy will apply to developments of 8 dwellings or more."
The planning application seeks planning approval for the erection of residential development and underground sewage pumping station on the application site. As stated earlier in this report, the planning application effectively constitutes an amendment of the development permitted under approved previous planning application 03/01846/B and 08/01319/B.
Given the land use designation of the application site and the extant planning approval (03/01846/B & 08/01319/B) for residential development it is concluded that the principle of residential development is established. The submission of the original planning application that granted planning approval for the residential development of the application site and surrounding land pre-dates the adoption of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 and therefore the application of Housing Policy 5. As such, this previous planning application was not subject of any requirement to provide affordable housing. However, the Department of the Local Government and the Environment's Housing and Estates Directorate have been discussing the application site with the applicant and it has been subsequently agreed that a number of the residential units will be made available for the Department's House Purchase Assistance Scheme.
With the principle of development established and the issue of affordable housing provision suitably addressed it remains necessary to examine the site specific impacts of the development proposed by the planning application. In terms of this, the number of residential units is unchanged and the overall layout and types of dwellings differ little from that approved
under the extant planning approval. As such, the site specific impacts of the proposed development on the public and private amenity of the surrounding area are generally unchanged from previous planning applications that were deemed to be acceptable. There are no material planning reasons to change that conclusion. The planning application also proposes changes to the underground sewage pumping station that serves the application site and surrounding land. It is understood that these changes are primarily related to technical specification and are at the request of the Department of Transport Drainage Division. The underground sewage pumping station works proposed by the planning application are acceptable.
Given that the application site has extant planning approval for residential development that does not have any affordable housing requirement it is considered unreasonable to now seek to impose a legal agreement on the application site. Such legal agreement would unduly complicate matters and introduce additional expense to the applicant that could potentially lead to the applicant withdrawing their offer of providing affordable housing. This approach does not set any precedent and is merely seen as a reflection of the planning history of the application site, the extant planning approvals and current circumstance.
It is recommended that the planning application be approved.
It is considered that the following parties that made representations to the planning application meet the criteria of Government Circular 1/06 and should be afforded interested party status:
Ramsey Town Commissioners; The Department of Transport Highways Division; The Department of Local Government and the Environment's Estates and Housing Directorate; and The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Inland Fisheries Section.
I confirm that this decision accords with Government Circular No 31/07 (Delegation of Functions to Senior Planning Officer)
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 28/1/09 Signed : DB Senior Planning Officer
| Recommendation | |
|---|---|
| Recommended Decision: | Permitted |
| Date of Recommendation: | 21.01.2009 |
| Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal | |
| C : Conditions for approval | |
| N : Notes attached to conditions | |
| R : Reasons for refusal | |
| O : Notes attached to refusals | |
| C 1. | |
| The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice. | |
| C 2. | |
| This approval relates to drawing no.s 2291_A_CN_304 rev. B, 2291_ADR_504 rev. C, 2291_A_PL_10 rev. C, 2291_APL_14 rev. E, 2291_APL_016 rev. C, 2291_APL_127, 2291_APL_128, 2291_APL_129, 2291_APL_130, 2291_APL_131, 2291_APL_132, 2291_APL_133, 2291_APL_134 and 2291_APL_135 date stamped the 17th October 2008. |
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