DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 22/00810/B Applicant: Mr & Mrs Barry John & Rebecca Cubbon Proposal: Removal of flat and pitched roof over ground floor yard with associated works and installation of french doors to side elevation Site Address: New Inn New Road Laxey Isle Of Man IM4 7HS Planning Officer: Mr Toby Cowell Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 07.10.2022

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 proposed works are considered to further facilitate the use and functionality of the building

• as a dwellinghouse, whilst improving the visual appearance of the building, and subsequently resulting in a positive impact upon the character and setting of the immediate streetscene and adjoining Conservation Area. The proposals are therefore compliant with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 36 of the Strategic Plan (2016), and recommended for approval. Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the Site Location Plan and Site Plan, the Existing and Proposed Elevations and Plans, and the submitted site photographs document, all received on 22.06.22. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None. _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site comprises the New Inn, a former public house located on the western side of New Road (A2) within the settlement boundary of Laxey. The site includes an adjacent car park associated with the former public house, together with a wider portion of undeveloped and vegetated land which slopes sharply upward toward Rencell Hill at the rear. - 1.2 The existing building is sited within close proximity to the highway and prominent within the context of the streetscene, whilst currently being in a noticeably poor state of repair.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposals seek the removal of the tiled pitched roof and fibreglass covered flat roof

• at the rear and side of the property, currently atop the former yard area and toilet block which once served the public house. All external toilet facilities would be removed, with the top of the existing perimeter concrete wall to be capped with concrete copings. French doors would also be installed at ground floor on the northern (side) elevation.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 The site benefits from an extensive planning history, which includes the grant of planning permission on appeal (PA 14/00349/B) for the redevelopment of the site to provide 4 no. two-storey detached dwellings following demolition of the public house. This permission does not appear to have been implemented, and a subsequently application for a change of use of public house to a residential dwelling (PA 21/00976/C) was recently approved in 2021. The current proposals appear to have been submitted on the basis of further facilitating this permission by removing unnecessary and visually unattractive external elements associated with the building's former use.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as 'Predominantly Residential' in the Area Plan for the East within Laxey. The site is not within a Conservation Area but immediately adjoins one, which covers the adjacent highway of New Road itself and extending further eastward, whilst cutting through the curtilage of Osborne Cottage and extending to the north and north-west. - 4.2 General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan 2016 requires development, amongst other things, to be of a suitable design so as to respect the site and its surroundings, whilst not adversely affecting the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape. Likewise, Environment Policy 36 requires development outside of but close to Conservation Areas to not detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Conservation Area.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Garff Parish Commissioners - No objection (20.09.2022) - 5.2 Highway Services - No Highways Interest (08.07.22)

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The proposals would result in the loss of existing pitched and flat roofs to the rear and side of the property, much of which is not visible within the context of the streetscene, however the elements of which are visible to the side are not visually attractive or presently in good condition. Their removal and making good of the concrete walls would likely improve the visual appearance of the property, whilst the works and assumed general renovation of the building to provide a dwellinghouse would clearly have a positive impact upon the character of the immediate streetscene and the adjacent Conservation Area. - 6.2 The works would aid the use and functionality of the building as a dwellinghouse, without detriment to the character and appearance of the immediate streetscene of wider

Conservation Area, in compliance with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 36 of the Strategic Plan (2016).

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 The proposed works are considered to further facilitate the use and functionality of the building as a dwellinghouse, whilst improving the visual appearance of the building, and subsequently resulting in a positive impact upon the character and setting of the immediate streetscene and adjoining Conservation Area. The proposals are therefore compliant with General Policy 2 and Environment Policy 36 of the Strategic Plan (2016), and recommended for approval.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 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 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.

8.2 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 in Article 6(4) 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.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 07.10.2022 Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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