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22/00578/B Page 1 of 6
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 22/00578/B Applicant : Mr & Mrs James & Amy Farrell Proposal : Alterations including the creation of infill extension, installation of flue, windows, patio door, disability access ramp, re-roofing and demolition of chimney stack Site Address : 23 Alberta Drive Onchan Isle Of Man IM3 1LT
Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 15.11.2022 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. 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.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The improved energy conservation ability and improved accessibility fit in with the environment and social sustainability goal of the government while the disruption to the symmetry of the pair of dwellings has been minimised. Therefore, this application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and the Residential Design Guide July 2021.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval related to the documents, design statement, photos and drawing no. A0.2, 01, A1.1, A1.2 which have been received on 6th May 2022; and drawing no. A2.1, A3.1, A3.2 which have been received on 6th September 2022. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
It is recommended that the owners/occupiers of the following properties should not be given Interested Person Status as they are not considered to have sufficient interest in the subject
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matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 4(2):
The Friends of Onchan's Heritage Owners/Occupiers of 4 Falkland Drive, Onchan
as they do not clearly identify the land which is owned or occupied which is considered to be impacted on by the proposed development in accordance with paragraph 2A of the Policy
Owners/Occupiers of 27 Alberta Drive, Onchan
as they do not refer to the relevant issues in accordance with paragraph 2C of the Policy __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of Salween, 23 Alberta Drive, Onchan a single-storey semi-detached property located on the south of Alberta Drive, close to its junction with Kerrocoar Drive.
1.2 The house consists of a single-storey hipped-roof main dwelling, a flat-roof garage, a flat-roof rear extension and a flat-roof rear dormer.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposed is a series of alterations to the property, including a narrow side extension and a partial demolition of the existing flat-roof rear extension.
2.2 The alterations include the demolition of a chimneystack; the replacement of windows, installation of two vents and blocking up a door on the side elevation; the demolition of two rooflights, the installation of a flue and the installation of a bi-fold door in replacement of the existing window on the rear elevation.
2.3 The partial demolitions of the rear elevation also include the demolition of the connecting roof between the extension and the garage. The remaining extension will have replacement windows and new bi-fold doors.
2.4 The proposed side extension is only for approx. 0.21m wide. The roof pitch will also be slightly altered.
2.5 The proposal also includes rebuilding the front elevation mostly like for like, including the replacement of windows and the front door. The exception is the additional insulation layer.
2.6 The insulation layer will be 0.2m thick and surrounds the house. The only exception is the section of the wall between the bay window and the neighbouring property, which will be 0.1m thick.
2.7 The proposal also includes replacing the existing roof and the installation of solar panels on the rear elevation.
2.8 The proposal also includes the erection of an accessibility ramp in the front garden.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 There is no previous application considered materially relevant to this application.
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4.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific 4.1 The site is within an area designated as Predominantly Residential in the Area Plan for the East.
Strategic Policy 4.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application:
Principles of Developments 4.3 General Policy 2, which provides an overall requirement for all development, states: "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: (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (g)
does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."
4.4 Paragraph 8.12.1 states: "As a general policy, in built up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general."
Design 4.5 Strategic Policy 3 and Environment Policy 42 both focus on the visual design of developments, they state that the design should take account of the local materials, character and identity of its immediate locality, in terms of buildings and landscape features. Focused on landscaping.
4.6 Strategic Policy 5 states: "New development, including individual buildings, should be designed so as to make a positive contribution to the environment of the Island."
Other 4.7 Community Policy 7 and 10 state that the design of new development must, as far as is reasonable and practicable, pay due regard to existing best practise such as to prevent criminal and anti-social behaviour and outbreak and spread of fire.
4.8 Infrastructure Policy 5 states that "Development proposals should incorporate methods for water conservation and management measures to conserve the Island's water resources."
PPS and NPD 4.9 No Planning Policy Statement or National Policy Directive is applicable to this application.
5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Strategy and Guidance 5.1 The Residential Design Guide (July 2021) provides guidance on the design of new houses and extensions to an existing property, as well as how to assess the impact of such development on the living conditions of those in adjacent residential property.
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5.2 RDG 4.6 Rear Extensions set out some key considerations. These include the impact on the amenities of those in neighbouring properties such as loss of light and/or overbearing. These impacts can be regulated by designing with the right depth (projection) and location. The section also specifically mentioned that terraced/semi-detached dwellings have the potential for the greatest concern due to the potential of the "tunnel effect". It also points out that single-storey extensions are unlikely to be supported where they project more than 3 metres from the back of the house.
5.3 RDG 4.7 Flat Roof Extension sets out some key considerations regarding the acceptability and details of having a flat roof for extensions. It states that a parapet should be used along with architectural detailing. Furthermore, contemporary design can be acceptable in certain circumstances.
5.4 RDG Chapter 5 sets out key considerations regarding architectural details. These include window details and external finishing. The general idea is that development should fit in with the street scene and the building itself.
5.5 RDG Chapter 7 sets out key considerations regarding the impact on neighbouring properties. These include the potential loss of light/overshadowing, overbearing impact upon outlook and overlooking resulting in a loss of privacy.
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 Onchan District Commissioners has no objection to this application (23.09.2022).
6.2 Highway Services does not oppose this application (09.09.2022). The comment states that there is no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking.
6.3 Owners/Occupiers of 27 Alberta Drive wrote in objection to the initial submission (23.06.2022). The comment is concerned about the visual appearance of the front elevation in the initial submission.
6.4 The Friends of Onchan's Heritage (listed address: 4 Falkland Drive Onchan) wrote in objection to this application (27.09.2022). The comment states that the insulation wall on the front elevation would disrupt the symmetry of the pair of semi-detached.
7.0 ASSESSMENT 7.1 The key considerations of this application are its impact on the house itself, on the character and street scene of the area and on the amenities of the neighbours. The demolition of the rear dormer is considered an improvement to the existing appearance.
Design of the House Itself 7.2 The proposed alterations would not have a negative impact on the house itself.
Character and Street Scene 7.3 The dwelling is half of a pair of semi-detached dwellings. On the one hand, changes to the rear of the property would not be visible to the public and therefore have no negative impact on the character of the area. On the other hand, any variation to the front elevation would disrupt the symmetry of the pair and easily become very prominent.
7.4 While the initial proposal has more drastic changes, the amended version mostly maintained the existing features of the property except for the narrow side extension, the front insulation finish and the ramp. While they have been designed to minimise the asymmetrical comparison, they will still negatively impact the character of the area.
Neighbouring Amenities
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7.5 The proposed does not change the mass of the property or create any new vantage point in general and therefore would not have an additional overbearing/overshadowing/overlooking impact on the neighbouring properties.
Planning Balance Assessment 7.6 The majority of the proposal is to improve the energy conservation ability of the dwelling, which is encouraged in General Policy 2 (n) of the Strategic Plan. The side extension and front insolation finish are for energy conservation purposes. The ramp is to improve the accessibility of the property.
7.7 The pair of semi-detached dwellings are quite unique in their design and are a positive contribution to the character of the area. The alterations, as mentioned in 7.4 would reduce this positive contribution. This being said, the pair of dwellings are not within a conservation area nor would they meet registration standards. Since the character of the area is only protected in the general sense, and the negative impact has been minimised, it alone is not considered to be a sufficient reason for recommending refusal.
7.8 The balance assessment then becomes whether the need for energy conservation and accessibility can outweigh the need for preserving the character of the area. In this case, I considered this acceptable. This is because the improved energy conservation ability and improved accessibility fit in with the environment and social sustainability goal of the government while the disruption to the symmetry of the pair of dwellings has been minimised.
8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and the Residential Design Guide July 2022. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval.
9.0 INTEREST PERSON STATUS 9.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land which the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
9.2 The decision-maker must determine: o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status. __
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
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Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 23.11.2022
Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER
Chris Balmer
Principal Planner
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