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TO: Paul Visigah: Planning Officer FROM: Tom Sinden: Assistant Registered Buildings Officer DATE: 8.7.2022
22/00492/B RE: Engineering works to existing bridge and provision of a new pedestrian footpath on the west side of the bridge AT: Santon Railway Station
Recommendation
Refuse
Scope of comments These comments relate to the impact of the proposed bridge works on the setting of the registered building, the character of the surrounding landscape and the character of the locality.
Policy context TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions
(3) In considering —
the relevant Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.
National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 General Policy 2: 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:
Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;
Environment Policy 34: In the maintenance, alteration or extension of pre1920 buildings, the use of traditional materials will be preferred. Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man
POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS In considering whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting and in considering whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.
Registered building consent is required for the building’s alteration in any way which would affect its special architectural or historic character. There will be a general presumption against alteration or extension of registered buildings, except where a convincing case can be made, against the criteria set out in this section, for such proposals.
Applicants for registered building consent for alteration or extension to a registered building must be able to justify their proposals. They will be required to show why the works which would affect the character of the registered building are desirable or necessary and they should provide full information to enable the Department to assess the likely impact of their proposals on the special architectural or historic interest of the building and on its setting. Where registered buildings are the subject of successive applications for alteration or extension, consideration will also be given to the cumulative effect upon the building’s special interest as a result of several minor works which may individually seem of little consequence.
The application proposes to construct a new road deck, footway and parapet walls on the masonry bridge that carries the main A5 road over the Isle of Man Railway line immediately west of Santon Station. The station building itself is a registered building (RB278), and the existing bridge is judged to form an integral part of the building’s setting.
Although the application description includes the provision of a new pedestrian footpath on the west side of the bridge, this is not what is shown on drawing C9-03 revision A. The footpath and principal overhand of the proposed deck are clearly drawn on the eastern side of the bridge, the side facing the station. Existing Sectional Elevation A-A appears to have been
drawn the wrong way round, as the existing footpath is on the eastern side of the bridge, not the western side as drawn.
The proposed new deck would overhang the lower portion of the bridge on both sides, but to a greater extent on the eastern side (the side visible from the station). The proposals include a parapet wall extending 1.5m above pavement level, faced in a stone veneer (not Manx stone).
It is judged that the proposed deck overhand and the proposed use of a modern ‘stone veneer’ finish will have a significant adverse impact on the character of the bridge. Section 16 of the Act requires that the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the setting of registered buildings. Given the clear negative impact that this proposal would have on the setting of registered building 278, it is recommended that the application be refused.
The proposed stone veneer is not a traditional material, will not have any continuity with the finish of the existing bridge, and will be a very obvious modern alteration to the historic structure.
It is judged that the construction of a wider concrete deck on top of the existing bridge does not respect the site in terms of its form and design, adversely affects the character of the surrounding landscape and adversely affects the character of the locality.
It is suggested that any alterations to the bridge’s width or form should be focussed on the western side so that the setting of the registered building is preserved.
The proposals fail the tests of section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 as they do not preserve the setting of registered building 278 (Santon Railway Station). The proposals are also judged to fail the tests of general policy 2 and strategic policy 4 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 as they do not protect or enhance the setting of the registered building, do not respect the site in terms of its form and design, adversely affect the character of the surrounding landscape and adversely affect the character of the locality. The proposals are also judged to be contrary to policy RB/5 within PPS 1/01 as the setting of the registered building is not being preserved. The failure to use traditional materials is also contrary to environment policy 34 of the strategic plan.
Tom Sinden Assistant Registered Buildings Officer
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