DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 22/00863/B Applicant: Mr G Eastwood Proposal: Removal of rear chimney stack Site Address: 3 & 5 Allan Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 3DQ Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 03.10.2022

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.

• C 2. The approval is only for the removal of the rear chimneystacks. Reason: for the avoidance of doubt.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and Residential Design Guide July 2021.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the documents, planning statement, location plan and photo date stamped as having been received on 29th June 2022. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of 3 Allan Street, Douglas, a two-storey mid-terrace dwelling located on the south of Allan Street, close to its end with Merton Bank. The house has a hipped roof. - 1.2 There are two chimneystacks between 3 and 5 Allan Street. The whole terrace has similar chimneystacks between units. The front chimney is visible from the pavement on the other side of the road. The rear chimney is visible from the rear alley.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The current planning application seeks approval for the removal of the rear chimneystack and the making good of the roof in matching materials.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 Removal of two chimney stacks was REFUSED under PA 21/01027/B. The reason for refusal was: "The removal of the chimney would blur the boundary between units and have a negative impact the street scene of the area." The current application only proposes the removal of the rear chimneystacks while the refused application asked for both the front and back to be removed. - 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:

• o Strategic Policy 3, 5
• o General Policy 2 (b), (c), (g), (m), (n)
• o Paragraph 8.12.1
• o Community Policy 7 and 10

PPS and NPD

4.3 There is no Planning Policy Statement or National Policy Directive relate to this application.

5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Strategy and Guidance

5.1 The Residential Design Guide (July 2021) contains the following guidance that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: o Section 5.1.1 - 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS

6.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection to this application (26.07.2022).

6.2 DoI Highway Services states there is no highway interest in this application (25.07.2022). - 7.0 ASSESSMENT

7.1 The main concerns for this application are its impact on the character and landscape of the area.

7.2 The stacks are visible to the public. While the existing dwelling and its chimneystacks are of no particular architectural or historic interest, it is part of the elements that break up each unit of the terrace and is considered a positive contribution to the character of the area.

7.3 However, considering the removal is only at the rear of the house, where more visual cues are available to distinguish each unit of the terrace. Therefore, it is considered that the loss of the rear stack will not blur the boundary between units and would not negatively impact the street scene of the area. - 8.0 CONCLUSION

8.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and Residential Design Guide July 2021. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval. - 9.0 INTERESTED 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.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 12.10.2022 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

Customer note This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.