29 July 2022 · Delegated - Principal Planner (Chris Balmer)
3a, Coburg Road, Ramsey, Isle Of Man, IM8 3eh
The proposal involves widening an existing hardened area in the front garden of 3A Coburg Road, a three-storey end-of-terrace dwelling in Ramsey, to create one off-street parking space, while shortening and relocating the front boundary wall and retaining most of the lawn.
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The officer assessed the principle of development against the Residential Design Guide (RDG 6.3), requiring a net increase in parking spaces overall; the proposal removes a 3.4m section of potential o…
General Policy 2
Requires development to respect site/surroundings in siting/layout/scale/design/landscaping, not adversely affect townscape character, local amenities, or safety. Officer assessed the driveway against (b), (c), (g), (m), (n) and found compliance due to retained lawn, subordinate scale, preserved boundary transition, and no amenity/safety harm.
Residential Design Guide Section 6
Front gardens form important public-private boundaries; driveways acceptable if net parking benefit and minimal loss/impact. Proposal tested for >50% lawn retention (passed), net parking gain (achieved via off-street creation without factual on-street loss), and low visual impact (subordinate to lawn/wall).
Strategic Policy 3 - To respect the character of our towns and villages
Requires design accounting for local materials, character, identity in buildings/landscape. Considered alongside ENV42 for landscaping focus; retained boundary wall and majority lawn respects residential street character.
Environment Policy 42
Focuses on visual design using local character/landscape features. Applied to boundary wall retention and garden landscaping to ensure no adverse townscape impact.
Spatial Policy 5
New development must positively contribute to Island environment. Driveway design found neutral/positive via parking benefit outweighing minor garden change.
Time limit
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.
no objection (24.05.2022)
does not oppose after driveway widened to minimum standard; no significant road safety or highway network efficiency issues (20.07.2022)
Highways Development Control initially raised concerns about driveway width but accepted amendments and recommended no objection subject to conditions; Ramsey Town Commissioners had no objection.
Key concern: driveway width being too narrow
Department of Infrastructure Highways Development Control
Conditional No ObjectionOther than the driveway width being too narrow, the proposal is acceptable to Highways Development Control.; 3.4m is the requirement for shared pedestrian and vehicular use where there is no separate path; The proposal does not raise any road safety or network functionality issues, allowing HDC to raise no opposition subject to conditions for a 3.4m wide driveway, block paving and surface water drainage.; Recommendation: DNOC / revision; As revised, the proposal raises no significant road safety or network functionality issues. Accordingly, HDC raises no opposition subject to a condition for the revised access and internal layout to accord with Drawing 100 Rev A.
Conditions requested: 3.4m wide driveway; block paving; surface water drainage; revised access and internal layout to accord with Drawing 100 Rev A
Department of Infrastructure Highways Development Control
Conditional No ObjectionThe revised driveway length and width satisfy highway requirements at 6.0m and 3.4m respectively.; As revised, the proposal raises no significant road safety or network functionality issues. Accordingly, HDC raises no opposition subject to a condition for the revised access and internal layout to accord with Drawing 100 Rev A.
Conditions requested: revised access and internal layout to accord with Drawing 100 Rev A
Ramsey Town Commissioners
No ObjectionRamsey Town Commissioners have no objection to this proposal.
