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25/91209/CON Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 25/91209/CON Applicant : DOI, Public Estates & Housing Division Proposal : Registered building consent for installation of external handrails to southern and western entrance steps and erection of access ramp to southern entrance RB341 Site Address : Royal Chapel Of St John The Baptist Main Road St Johns Isle Of Man IM4 3NA
Technical Officer: Tom Sinden Photo Taken : Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 23.02.2026 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.
Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.
C 2. Notwithstanding the notes on drawing 03revA relating to handrails, prior to the installation of any ramp or entrance handrails, details of the metal handrails are to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. Thereafter the handrails are to be installed in accordance with the approved details and retained as such.
Reason: To ensure that the finishes of the development hereby approved are appropriate to the form and design of the site.
C 3. Prior to the installation of any ramp finishes, samples of the natural stone wall and steps are to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. Thereafter the ramp finishes are to be installed in accordance with the approved details and retained as such.
Reason: To ensure that the finishes of the development hereby approved are appropriate to the form and design of the site.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.
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The application is judged to meet the statutory test within section 16 of the Act as the physical alterations are such that the building's special architectural and historic interest would be preserved. The proposals are judged to be in accordance with General Policy 2, Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 32 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 as the handrails and accessible ramp are judged to preserve the special interest of the registered building, are judged to not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape, would respect the building's form, scale and design, and would not impact the fabric or setting of the area of archaeological interest. In addition to this, although not tied to a specific policy, the overall objective of the proposals to improve access to this nationally important building is also judged to accord with one of the strategic objectives within the IOM Strategic Plan 2016. With the above factors in mind, the application is judged to be acceptable.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This decision relates to drawings 01revA, 02revA, 03revA, together with the other supporting information received 22nd December 2025.
__ Interested Person Status
German Commissioners and Manx National Heritage are automatically awarded Interest Party Status by virtue of Section 9(4) of the Regulations. No other representations have been received. __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the Royal Chapel of St. John the Baptist, Main Road, St. John's. The Chapel was registered in September 2025 as RB341 along with the tiered assembly site and associated landscaping. The foundation stone for the chapel was laid on the 12th August 1847 and the Church was consecrated on the 8th March 1849. In addition to being the Parish Church for the Village it is the National Civic Church for the Island where the Chapel-Court of Tynwald meets by tradition on Tynwald Day.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 This application seeks approval to install an access ramp adjacent to the chapel's south entrance, together with external handrails at the southern and western entrances. The ramp would have low level walls finished in dressed stone sourced to match the chapel stone, and sit within a niche of the building's south elevation between the entrance porch and south transept.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY 3.1 National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 Chapter 3 - Strategic Objectives 3.6 Social (c) To promote improved access to buildings, spaces and services for less able people. Section 4.4.6 Viable and vibrant town and village centres not only provide the opportunity for economic success, but also provide convenient and accessible amenities for all members of the community and an opportunity to obtain renewal of some of our poorer built fabric. Section 10.5.3 It is one of Government's general policies to promote equity and equality of access to education, health, community and recreation facilities, services and the wider environment for all sectors of the community.
General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan: 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:
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(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; and (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality.
Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;
Environment Policy 32: Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted.
Environment Policy 34: In the maintenance, alteration or extension of pre-1920 buildings, the use of traditional materials will be preferred. 3.2 Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man POLICY RB/3 POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS
4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS 4.1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions (3) In considering - (a) whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting, or (b) whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the relevant Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.
5.0 PLANNING HISTORY 5.1 Prior to the registration of the building within RB341, planning application 25/90425/B approved the proposals that are now the subject of this registered building consent application. None of the other historic applications relating to the Chapel are judged to be relevant to the current application.
6.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only. 6.1 No representations have been received in respect of the application. Although initially published on 24.12.2025, following a query it could not be confirmed that the requisite consultations and site notices had been made/displayed. The application was therefore sent out for a further 21 day consultation period on 26.1.2026, and new site notices issued. Following the conclusion of this additional consultation period, no representations have been received.
7.0 ASSESSMENT Statutory Test 7.1 Section 16 of the Act requires that when considering whether to grant registered building consent, the Department must "have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses." In this instance, the application proposes to install an access ramp adjacent to the chapel's south entrance, together with external handrails at the southern and western entrances. The ramp would have low level walls finished in dressed stone sourced to match the chapel stone, and sit within a niche of the building's south elevation between the entrance
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porch and south transept. During pre-application discussions and meetings on site, the various forms of accessible ramp have been discussed and a strong preference has been voiced for a discrete and low profile form that would detract as little as possible from the form of the historic building. Given the increased accessibility that would be provided by the proposals, the limited impact on the Chapel's south elevation is judged to preserve the special interest of the registered building and its setting.
Policy Tests 7.2 This application seeks approval to construct an accessible ramp adjacent to the Chapel's southern entrance, as well as handrails adjacent to the western and southern entrances. The ramp is proposed to be finished in granite to match the Chapel, the steps would be reclaimed or new granite to match the existing steps, and the handrail would be stainless steel. The surface of the ramp would be textured concrete.
7.3 The Chapel that is the subject of this application is sited adjacent to the main road in St John's, and at the eastern end of the civic space that includes the National Assembly Site (Tynwald Hill). The pathways, raised mounds and walled landscaping around the assembly site and chapel were constructed following a major reorganisation of the site following the Chapel's construction in the 1840s. The Chapel, tiered assembly site and the associated landscaping were registered in September 2025 as RB341.
7.4 The handrails proposed to be physically fixed to the western and southern entrances would be stainless steel. The simple and functional form of these railings is judged to be suitable when set adjacent to the historic stonework and detailing of the Chapel entrances. Given that promoting improved access to buildings and civic facilities is one of the strategic objectives within the Strategic Plan, although not tied to a specific policy, the proposed installation of handrails on the southern and western entrances is judged to be acceptable. Given the sensitive nature of the site and its new status as a registered building, it is judged sensible to attach a condition to any approval that requires the details of the handrails, including their finish and their method of fixing to the historic building, to be approved by the Department prior to their installation.
7.5 The proposed access ramp would be sited adjacent to the southern entrance of the Chapel. Although the western entrance gives direct access to the Tynwald assembly site, the southern entrance is more convenient for the church hall, for the village itself, and perhaps most pertinently it is nearest to the accessible parking facilities immediately south of the Chapel. In addition to this, the location proposed for the ramp would partly sit within a niche in the building's elevation between the entrance porch and the external wall of the south transept. During pre-application discussions and meetings on site, the various forms of accessible ramp have been discussed and a strong preference has been voiced for a discrete and low profile form that would detract as little as possible from the form of the historic building. The design now proposed would be finished in granite to match the Chapel wall finish, and have open handrails as a guarding above ramp level rather than any solid walls. This approach is judged to be successful. Although the requirements within the Building Regulations restrict and dictate the length and gradient of accessible ramps, and although this often results in a somewhat convoluted route for such facilities, in this instance the route and overall structure is judged to be sufficiently modest in scale and form. I judge that the overall impact on the Chapel's south elevation is limited, with the form and detailing of the historic building still very easy to appreciate. Given the enhanced level of access that will be facilitated to this nationally important civic building, and a newly registered building I judge that the small degree of harm is acceptable when set against the greater accessibility that the proposal will afford.
8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The application is judged to meet the statutory test within section 16 of the Act as the physical alterations are such that the building's special architectural and historic interest would be preserved. The proposals are judged to be in accordance with General Policy 2, Strategic
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Policy 4 and Environment Policy 32 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 as the handrails and accessible ramp are judged to preserve the special interest of the registered building, are judged to not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape, would respect the building's form, scale and design, and would not impact the fabric or setting of the area of archaeological interest. In addition to this, although not tied to a specific policy, the overall objective of the proposals to improve access to this nationally important building is also judged to accord with one of the strategic objectives within the IOM Strategic Plan 2016. With the above in mind, it is recommended that the application be approved.
9.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 9.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013 (As Amended), the following are automatically interested persons: o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; o Manx National Heritage, and o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated. 9.2 In addition to those above, the Regulation 9(3) requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application.
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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 and/or rights to appeal.
Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 25.02.2026
Determining Officer Signed : C BALMER
Chris Balmer
Principal Planner
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