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22/01062/B Page 1 of 4
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 22/01062/B Applicant : Mr & Mrs Grant Lane Proposal : Alterations including erection of a single storey rear extension. Site Address : 20 Harcroft Avenue Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 1PB
Planning Officer: Miss Lucy Kinrade Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 10.11.2022 __
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 application has an acceptable visual and amenity impact and accords with General Policy 2 (b, c and g) and with the principles of Section 4 and Section 7 of the Residential Design Guide 2021.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This approval relates to drawing numbers JTM2167-P-01 and JTM2167-P-02 both date received 23/08/2022. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE
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1.1 The application relates to existing dwelling 20 Harcroft Avenue, Douglas, a two storey detached dwelling with an attached pitched roof garage sitting part way along the northern side of the road.
2.0 PROPOSAL 2.1 The application seeks approval for the erection of a rear lean-to extension projecting 3m from the rear elevation and covering 6m of the rear elevation. The extension is to be finished in external render and roof tiles matching the main house. The eaves level of the extension is to measure 2.54m from the garden level.
2.2 Bi-folding doors on the rear of the extension and to open onto a proposed raised deck projection 2.25m from the rear and measuring the same 6m width of the extension. The deck is to run flush with the ground floor of the house and extension and measuring 0.425m from the garden level.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The site has not been subject to any previous applications since its original development.
PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The site lies within an area designated on The Area Plan for the East 2020 as Residential. Consideration shall be given to a number of policies within the Strategic Plan including Strategic Policies 1 and 5 which seek to make best use of existing developed sites and ensuring new development is of good design, Spatial Policies 2 and 5 in ensuring development remains within settlement boundaries in line with the spatial hierarchy, paragraph 8.12.1 and General Policy 2 in ensuring development meets with the general standards towards acceptable development and not having an adverse impact on its surroundings or on the neighbours. Section 4 of the Residential Design Guidance 2021 also offers further guidance on extensions to existing residential dwellings and Section 7 addresses good neighbourliness, both are relevant in this case.
REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the Government's website. This report contains summaries only.
5.1 Douglas Borough Council - no objection (16/09/2022).
5.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services - No highways interest (15/09/2022)
ASSESSMENT 6.1 There is a general principle in favour of extensions to existing dwellings in areas designated for residential use as outlined in paragraph 8.12.1, so long as these extensions do not have an adverse impact on adjacent properties or on the surrounding area in general. The key issue to consider in this case is whether the works would have an acceptable impact on the amenities and living conditions of the neighbours, and whether it would have an acceptable visual impact on the existing dwelling and surrounding streetscene.
Rear Extension 6.2 General Policy 2 requires development to respect the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them and to positively contribute to the character of the locality. Residential Design Guidance 2021 sections 4.1.6, 4.1.7, 4.1.8 and 4.2.9 indicate that where inappropriately designed or failing to respect the site can result in extensions or alterations that become a local eyesore. In some instances, it may not be possible to design an acceptable extension due to the sensitivity of the site, limited space, or the relationship with neighbouring dwellings, but if a different or deliberate design approach is considered including any modern or contemporary schemes that
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the thinking behind this is explained as part of a design statement together with clarification on why this approach should be acceptable. The Department does not wish to restrict creative designs where they can be integrated successfully into their context, and well-judged modern designs can serve to both improve the sustainability and appearance of buildings in the streetscene. 4.6 specifically covers depth of rear extensions in ensuring they do not impinge on the amenity of the neighbours, and if there are issues could a reduction to depth or its moving away from neighbours boundary help.
6.3 Section 4.2 of the Residential Design Guidance 2021 states that extensions should generally appear subordinate to the existing house and should generally have the same roof pitch (angle) and shape as the existing dwelling and the height (roof ridge) should be lower than that of the main building. Roof finishes should be well designed, especially if publically viewable and pitch roofs matching the roof of the existing dwelling are preferred, compared to flat roofs, which generally introduce a new form of roof type to a property.
6.4 Section 4.11 also makes reference to decking and patios, with anything over 0.3m high requiring planning and that their installation should not adversely impact privacy of the neighbours.
Visual Impact 6.5 The extension would be screened from the majority of public views due to its positioning of the rear, although there will be clear views from the rear of neighbouring properties due to the open views and aspects over the rear gardens. The extension would be subordinate and visually in keeping with the main house and is not considered to result in any adverse visual harm and is considered to have an acceptable visual in line with General Policy 2 (b, c and g).
Amenity Impact 6.6 The main issue relates to the potential impacts upon the neighbouring properties (namely No's 18 and 22 Harcroft Avenue), through loss of light, overbearing impacts, privacy and overlooking from the extension and the raised decking.
6.7 In respect of the extension the 3m projection, the single storey lean-to design and the positioning away from the neighbours helps to ensure no unacceptable impacts on the neighbour's amenity or living conditions. There was initial concern that the additional raised deck could result in an increased feeling of being overlooked, more so on No.18 due to the land sloping down to the east and their property sitting at a slightly lower level. However during a site visit it was recognised that due to the relationship, orientation and distances between the dwellings it meant that there was already some overlooking and inter-visibility across the rear elevations and gardens including from dwellings forming part of Kirby Hill and Cooil Farrane. Minded of this and taking into consideration the existing views achievable from the site it is not considered that the size and scale of the deck of its height at 0.425m tall would be unreasonable or to create such an increased level of overlooking or privacy impacts beyond the existing arrangement as to warrant a refusal in this case and is therefore considered to meet with the test of General Policy 2 (g) and the general principles of the RDG.
CONCLUSION 7.1 The application is considered to have an acceptable visual and amenity impact and to comply with General Policy 2 (b, c and g) and with the principles of Section 4 and Section 7 of the Residential Design Guide 2021.
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);
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(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 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: 11.11.2022
Determining officer
Signed : J SINGLETON
Jason Singleton
Principal Planner
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