PLANNING STATEMENT FOR ALTERATIONS, SANTANDER, IOMA HOUSE, 19-21, PROSPECT HILL, DOUGLAS IM1 1ET
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Ioma House sits on the south western side of Prospect Hill immediately north west of a narrow lane, St. George’s Walk which links Prospect Hill to Upper Church Street. Ioma House is a four storey building with a corner tower feature which produces an additional floor of accommodation in this section.
1.2 Across the lane to the south east is the Isle of Man Bank building which is Registered (RB 290): to the north west is Prospect House, a three storey building which accommodates the Prospect Hotel public house. Across the road is Victory House, a more modern building which provides five floors of accommodation and is predominantly glass with textured rendered panels separating each floor.
A street-level photograph showing a row of commercial buildings including a Santander bank branch and a pub, with a building under construction covered in scaffolding to the left.A street-level photograph of a multi-story commercial building named Victory House, featuring illuminated green star decorations on the facade and street activity below.A street-level photograph showing a row of commercial buildings, including a bank branch and a building under construction, with vehicles on the road.
1.3 Ioma House is detached from Prospect House and extends further to the rear than this neighbouring property. Ioma House was constructed much more recently than Prospect House although it contains some of the architectural features that its older neighbour has - mouldings around the vertically proportioned windows, a different treatment of the windows and walling at ground floor with heavy cornice detail separating the ground floor from the floors above although at the upper level Ioma House has eaves level dormer features which interrupt the eaves line and the tower feature is also distinctly different from and taller than the other buildings in this row. The changing level of Prospect Hill results in the properties being stepped down as one proceeds south with no consistent window line throughout the line of buildings or the terrace to the north.
1.4 The building has car parking at the rear, accessed from Finch Road. The rear elevation faces a flat roofed building which is outwith the ownership of the applicant. On this rear elevation there is currently a flue which extends all the way up this wall, together with a louvred vent, some pipework and at the lower end, alongside the flat roof are ground mounted equipment units.
1.5 The property lies within the Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area (see Planning Policy).
2.0 Planning history
2.1 The building was approved as a replacement for a former building on the site, in the late 1980s with a number of subsequent modifications and additions including signage, larger windows and an ATM as can be seen in the following planning applications which have been considered for Ioma House:
87/00694/A - approval in principle to erect an office development with associated facilities and car park - permitted
88/04622/B - demolition of building and erection of four storey office block with associated car parking - permitted
89/01512/B - construction of MEA substation within the car park - permitted 91/04049/B - erection of hoarding - permitted at appeal 93/00293/B - installation of satellite dish - permitted 00/00301/D - erection of advertising signage - permitted 00/00590/B - construction of access ramp - permitted 03/01944/B - installation of ramped access and entrance doors, window enlargement and signage permitted 07/02041/B - installation of six roof lights - permitted
13/00276/D - erection of illuminated and non-illuminated signage - permitted
13/00277/B - installation of an ATM - permitted 17/00548/D - installation of illuminated signage - permitted
3.0 Planning Policy
3.1 The site lies within one of the many areas of Mixed Use on the Area Plan for the East. Those Mixed Use areas in the central part of the town have specific names and policies. Ioma House lies within the “Strand Street” Mixed Use proposals area which includes Strand Street - the main shopping street in Douglas as well as Victoria Street but excludes most of Athol Street which lies within another area - the St. George’s Mixed Use area. The dashed line to the south indicates a “primary office frontage” which does not apply to Ioma House.
3.2 The Written Statement for the Area Plan provides the following advice and Proposal for this Mixed Use area:
Mixed Use Area 3 – Strand Street This area forms the core of the retail shopping area and is characterised by shops, food and drink uses, financial and professional services and other associated town centre uses such as hairdressers, beauticians and so on. The area is currently busy during daytime but quiet of an evening and it is considered that more residential uses would benefit the area and help 25 GD 2014/83 86 support the night time economy. The primary shopping frontage is notated by the hatched line on Map 5. Town Centre - Mixed Use Proposal 3 There will be a presumption in favour of retail and ancillary town centre uses such as food and drink and health and beauty uses along the primary shopping frontage. Outside of the primary shopping frontage a wider variety of town centre uses including financial and professional services open to visiting members of the public will also be acceptable. Entertainment venues, Offices and residential use will be acceptable at first floor level and above, but not at ground floor level where an active frontage should be maintained and enhanced. These active frontages are essential to sustain an attractive town centre.
3.3 The “Primary Shopping Frontage” referred to above runs along Strand Street (shown as a “Primary Retail Frontage” on the Central Area Map) and does not apply to this site. The Area Plan also has mapping showing Environmental, Infrastructure and Community Constraints. There is none which applies to this site other than the presence of high voltage electricity supplies to the rear of the site.
3.4 The site lies within the Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area:
A site location map showing property boundaries, street names such as Cronk Road, and colored zoning areas in pink, green, and yellow.
Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area shown in orange
3.5 The Character Appraisal which accompanies the map includes an assessment of most of the buildings in the CA. The application building is not identified specifically in the document although the existing building could be one of those referred to in the Opportunities section 8 which refers to extra floors being squeezed in and dormers being all too evident on the skyline along with the use of aluminium and uPVC in lieu of timber for windows where it states:
8.3 The use of aluminium and Upvc as a substitute for finely detailed timber sash windows is particularly regrettable. In Athol Street, for instance, the later Georgian style of facade relies upon the refinement of details in its fanlights, railings, cornices and windows to achieve its effect. To date, Upvc suppliers have never approached the quality of detail that is required. There is every justification for using traditional restoration techniques and materials for window replacement.
8.4 The loss of character at ground floor level has been remarked upon. On Athol Street, the contrast between the stately upper storeys and the poor quality of street level entrances and shopfronts is particularly regrettable. By contrast signs and light boxes seem to be well controlled. In Victoria Street and Prospect Hill many good shopfronts have been replaced with poor quality designs. The few original examples that remain should be conserved and used as patterns for new fronts. And there is plenty of scope for innovative modern designs that respect their surroundings.
3.6 The Area Plan does not contain specific guidance on design: this is found in the Strategic Plan which provides overall and general planning policy for the Island which guides the Area Plans’
A site location map showing a large orange highlighted area and a blue coastal zone with surrounding street grids.
formulation. The policies which will apply to any application for alterations to this building are as follows:
Environment Policy 35 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man CA/2 which require development to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area and to take into account the special characteristics of the area.
General Policy 2 which sets out general standards for development to follow, requiring that development does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape and respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale form, design and landscaping of buildings at the spaces around them.
Strategic Policy 4 requires development to protect or enhance the fabric of Conservation Areas and Registered Buildings.
3.7 There are specific policies on advertisements although this element of the scheme is dealt with in a separate application under the Advertisements Regulations.
3.8 The site is not within any area shown on the national flood risk maps as being at risk of flooding and there are no trees, Registered or otherwise, on the site.
4.0 The proposal
4.1 Proposed is a scheme of regeneration of the building focusing primarily on the front elevation onto Prospect Hill but also introducing alterations on the side and rear elevations.
4.2 The building currently has distinctly different architectural treatment on the ground floor compared with the floors above. The ground floor, with its Ashlar scribed walls has very modern interventions in the form of the two sets of double doors, the entrance railings and the single light windows either side of and in between the doors. The upper floors appear to be trying to mimic some of the more traditional features in the buildings further up the road with the sliding sash windows albeit framed in aluminium, the mouldings around the windows and the smooth painted render. This contrasts with the modern pitched dormer roofs above the third floor windows, the shallow pitched, modern tiled roof and the very modern tower feature alongside which has very different windows, steeper pitched dormer window roofs and the tower feature itself.
4.3 It is proposed to rejuvenate the building and at the same time reconcile what currently appear as two separate elements at ground floor to become one unit with more modern, simpler, glazed balustrades at the entrance, the re-finishing of the facade with black cladding with black framed doors and windows and a projecting canopy which incorporates lighting and branding underneath. This will provide shelter for those entering and leaving the building and also those using the ATM. This different approach at ground level replicates that of the Prospect Hotel which has a much darker finished ground floor level and lighter treatment above.
4.4 It is proposed to replace the windows in the first, second and third floors of the four storey section of the frontage with single lights. Whilst this is moving away from the sliding sashes which were originally installed in the building, it is considered that this is a more honest approach to the modernity of the building, is more consistent with the fenestration in the tower section, bringing these upper floors visually together and also emphasises the verticality of the building which currently finishes quite abruptly at eaves level with the shallow pitched dormers.
4.5 The windows in the tower section will also be replaced to match those in the right hand side of the building, removing the sliding sash elements in the existing windows which are considered to be inappropriate in such a modern building and as they are, with glazing above and below which is not a traditional arrangement. All new windows are to be framed in uPVC.
4.6 At the rear and side, alterations are proposed to facilitate the improvement of the ventilation system within the building, incorporating a larger louvre on the side above the car park entrance in lieu of two existing vents and another, larger louvre on the rear replacing the existing.
4.7 The building will remain primarily as a bank with associated offices above but will also welcome a new element of bookable office rooms which the public may use for business meetings and there will be a financial advise service available. These uses are consistent with the use of the building as Class 1.2 where the services are provided principally to visiting members of the public for the purpose of providing…financial services…(including the services of a bank, building society of insurance broker) and other professional services including “any other service which it is appropriate to provide in a shopping area”. We are also cognisant of the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Change of Use) (Development) (No. 2) Order 2019 which would allow the ground floor to be used for other purposes subject to no customers remaining within the building after 2100hrs.
5.0 Assessment
5.1 This project has been approached in the full knowledge of the status of the building within the Athol Street and Victoria Street Conservation Area, the need to be able to demonstrate that the works will either preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the building (EP35 and PPS1/01) and not adversely affect the character or context of the Isle of Man Bank as a Registered Building (SP4). We are also cognisant of the need for works to generally result in a positive visual change to the building and enable the building to sit comfortably in its surroundings (General Policy 2).
5.2 The building currently on the site is markedly different from what it replaced: this image just includes the frontage of the original building with the projecting entrance similar to that on the Prospect Hotel alongside (images courtesy of imuseum.im).
5.3 This relative uniformity of frontage was continued across the street until major demolition and redevelopment in the 1970s saw Victory House emerge.
A historical black and white photograph showing a corner building covered in posters with 'GRAND THEATRE' signage, depicting an old street scene.A vintage sepia-toned photograph depicting a busy street scene with pedestrians in period clothing, horse-drawn carriages, and tram tracks.
5.4 The context of the site is important here in that whilst there are historic and interesting buildings on either side, the building itself is unashamedly modern and has had modifications (ramp, ATM, windows) approved since the designation of the Conservation Area in 2007. The building as it currently stands is clearly more modern than its neighbours with a contemporary and functional ground floor commercial frontage and approach.
5.5 It is proposed to replace the tired advertising material and dated entrances with more modern, clean elements which are designed to be incorporated into the fabric of the building rather than applied afterward, and which embrace the modern character of the building but which introduce darker colours to the ground floor making this more subtle and where it will sit comfortably in the streetscene, despite its modern components. This, we feel will sit more comfortably also with the upper floors and the building will become one rather than four almost distinct elements as it presently appears.
A street-level photograph showing the exterior of a multi-story commercial building housing a Santander bank branch.A street-level photograph showing a multi-story commercial building with a Santander bank branch on the ground floor, flanked by a pub frontage and a building under construction with scaffolding.
6.0 Conclusion
6.1 We believe that the proposals will rejuvenate a modern but tired building within an otherwise historic street scene in a manner which enhances the appearance of the building but preserves the character of the Conservation Area at this point which comprises historically interesting buildings either side with this modern building in between. The building is currently very different to its neighbours and what is proposed will retain some continuity in terms of the darker, crisper treatment of the ground floor commercial frontage and the vertical proportions of the window openings above, but bringing consistency within the building in its windows and finish treatments. We believe these materials and architectural treatments are a more honest approach to this building which is clearly more modern and different to other, older buildings in the same street scene without making the building stand out or sit uncomfortably in its context.
6.2 We believe that the proposed works satisfy Environment Policy 35, Planning Policy Statement 1/01
Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man CA/2, Strategic Policy 4 and General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan. The proposal also complies with the suggestion in the Conservation Area Appraisal that there is plenty of scope for innovative modern designs that respect their surroundings.
Sarah Corlett 28.02.22
Plan schedule Location Plan - IOM PH_Location & Site Plan Planning Images and Details document Existing elevations: IOM PH_SE_Existing Elev IOM PH_NW & SW Existing Elev IOM PH_NE_Existing Elev Proposed elevations: IOM PH_SE_Prop.Elev IOM PH_NW & SW_Prop.Elev IOM PH_NE_Porp.Elev
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