**Document:** DEC Officer Report
**Application:** 18/00815/C — Additional use of school car park for the parking of up to four minibuses (retrospective)
**Decision:** Permitted
**Decision Date:** 2019-05-24
**Parish:** Braddan
**Document Type:** report / officer_report
**Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/28725-braddan-braddan-school/documents/1039321

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# DEC Officer Report

**Application No.:** 18/00815/C
**Applicant:** Department Of Infrastructure, Transport Services
**Proposal:** Additional use of school car park for the parking of up to four minibuses (retrospective)
**Site Address:** Braddan School Braddan Road Braddan Douglas Isle Of Man IM4 4TQ
**Planning Officer:** Miss Lucy Kinrade
**Photo Taken:** 05.12.2018
**Site Visit:** 05.12.2018
**Expected Decision Level:** Officer Delegation
**Recommended Decision:** Permitted
**Date of Recommendation:** 13.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

## Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

C 1. The proposed additional use of the site for the parking of minibuses, hereby approved, shall be restricted to within the hatched areas shown on the submitted Site Plan date-stamped and received 26/04/2019. This area shall be restricted to a maximum of 4 minibuses parked on the site at any one time.

Reason: To ensure that there is no further loss of parking for the wider use of the site as a school.

### Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to location plan, site plan, 1 site photograph and supporting statement all date stamped and received 02/08/2018 _______________________________________________________________

### Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

It is recommended that the following Government Departments should be given Interested Person Status on the basis that they have made written submissions relating to planning considerations:

- The Isle of Man Constabulary on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs. _____________________________________________________________________________

### Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site specific to this application is the existing car parking area within the grounds of Braddan School in Braddan. The existing car parking area provides around 51 car parking spaces for use by school staff and for dropping off and picking up of school children. - 1.2 The existing car park area is currently being used for the parking of one DOI minibus.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The current application seeks approval for the additional use of the car park for the parking of up to 4 minibuses at any one time. - 2.2 Included within the application is a statement from the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) which states that the minibuses form part of 'bus vannin' although are operated separately to the big bus section. In total the minibus section operated 33 vehicles ranging between 9 - 16 seats. These minibuses offer services to DESC, DHSC for the transport of school children and students to various sites across the Island, along with adult and elderly patient transfers, the minibuses also provide a commercial service to the Sea Terminal and a demand service to the North. The vehicles are generally out all day but there may be some days when they are not required and could be parked all day. There will be no requirement to wash, maintain or refuel the vehicles at the site. - 2.3 The supporting information provided by the applicant also states that the site has been used since April 2016

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 There have been a number of similar applications submitted for the additional use of sites across the Island for the parking of DOI minibuses, those considered materially relevant to this application are:

- o PA 18/00810/C - parking of three minibuses at Marown School
- o PA 18/00811/C - parking of two minibuses at Kirk Michael School
- o PA 18/00813/C - parking of two minibuses at Foxdale School

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The site is designated on the Braddan Local Plan as 'Braddan Primary School'. The minibuses are not for sole use by the school, but they are to be located within an existing and established area of car parking. There are no specific policies in relation to this proposal, and therefore its most appropriate to considered the general standards towards development as set out in General Policy 2. General Policy 2:

"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;
- h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;
- i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan;

- 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."

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only. - 5.1 Braddan Parish Commissioners - no objection to the proposal (14.09.2018). - 5.2 DoI Highway Services - Do Not Oppose (29/08/18) The minibuses would not be maintained, cleaned or refuelled on the site and the proposal would not change the existing access arrangements in to the car park and there should be sufficient room on the site to accommodate 4 parked minibuses so the proposal should not create any new highway issues. - 5.3 The Police Crime Reduction & Architectural Liaison Officer provided comments on the application dated 20/08/2018 and 20/11/2018, initially the comments raised concern with regards to the increased likelihood of criminal damage and theft of fuel as a result of these expensive vehicles being parked out of hours and during darkness. While the school has some CCTV this is directed to the building and not the car park. The officer suggests that larger town centre car parks with bespoke CCTV should be used. Subsequent comments received from the officer stated that the concerns had been discussed with the DOI and that these risks had been taken into account in their business risk and the rational for the vehicles being sites at government owned locations and that security specs would be explored. The officer indicates that their immediate concerns had been satisfied.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The proposal is for the additional use of part of the Braddan School car park for the parking of up to four minibuses. The fundamental issues to consider in the assessment of the application are (i) whether or not the principle is acceptable particularly in terms of the impact on the day to day operations of the school, (ii) whether there would be any visual impacts, (iii) whether there would be any highway safety issues and (iv) whether or not there would be any community or safety concerns as a result of the vehicles being parked overnight.

- (i) PRINCIPLE

6.2 The minibuses are intended to serve a range of purposes and are not specifically for use by the school, although will provide services to The Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC), which operates the Island's schools and the University College Isle of Man and The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) which includes healthcare as well as social services for adults and for children and families. Alongside this the busses will also provide an on demand commercial service to the general public and ports services. The minibuses are to be located at various sites across the Island and within close proximity to the route which they will serve and in reasonable distance from their drive. This operation is likely to reduce the need for long journeys (both staff and vehicles) and expected to help create a more sustainable and energy efficient process. - 6.3 The existing school car park provides space for staff and pick up and drop off spaces for parents facilitating the primary use of the site. The demand and use of the car park varies throughout the year and is reflective of the day to day demands of the school. The proposal must not adversely affect or jeopardise this primary use. - 6.4 During the site visit one minibus was parked on the site and within the area shown hatched on the submitted plans. The matters of the application were discussed with the Headteacher and it was reiterated that the current proposal was for up to 4 minibuses. The Headteacher explained that normally there would only be one or two minibuses at the site and that these were usually gone by the time the staff and children arrived in the morning and that

- they didn't arrive back until after the school pick up or once the staff had left. To date there had been no issues in terms of parking provision at the site.
- 6.5 The overnight parking and parking of minibuses outside of school term time is not going to be of any issue and generally the buses are to be off site during core school hours. In understanding the impact of 4 minibuses being at the site and the consequential loss of parking it was sought that the applicant provide a parking plan and sizes of the minibuses. A revise plan was not received although the applicant confirmed that the largest vehicle was

- 7.3m long but that two could be parked alongside each other resulting in the total loss of around 8 spaces within the hatched area.

6.6 The minibuses are to operate mostly during the day and therefore it's unlikely that all 4 minibuses would be on the site during core school hours. In any such case it would be in the applicants best interest to ensure that no issues arise as a result of the proposal which could see the land owner (DESC) revoking their use. - 6.7 The use is partially in accordance with the land use designation and although the new license includes the use for 'commercial' uses this mostly relates to the diversification for uses associated with other Government Departments. On balance it is considered that the additional parking of 4 minibuses within the existing car park would in principle be acceptable.

- (ii) VISUAL IMPACT

6.8 The existing area is already established and utilised as a car park where there is a general level of acceptability for the parking of vehicles. The proposed minibuses are larger than the average motor car and will undoubtedly be more noticeably within the site from the road, their parking here is not expected to result in such an adverse visual impact as to warrant a concern or refusal, and that the existing vegetation and landscaping surrounding the site and boundaries also provide visual mitigation to the car park.

- (iii) HIGHWAY SAFETY

6.9 The proposal does not result in any changes to the existing access and while traffic coming into and out of the site may increase this is not expected to result in any detriment or adverse impact on traffic flows or highway safety. In this respect the proposal is considered to be acceptable.

- (iv) COMMUNITY SAFETY

6.10 A representative from the Police initially highlighted concern for the vehicles being left unattended overnight and being susceptible to criminal damage or theft. Subsequent comments indicate that discussion had been undertaken between the Police and DOI stating that this element of risk had been taken into consideration and that security would be explored by the DOI. The parking area is not controlled and access can be achieved at all times, the parking of the minibuses is not expected to cause any community safety issues, and that minibuses parked here would be done so at the applicants own risk.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 The number of minibuses included in the description is a maximum that can be parked on the site at any given time and not necessarily the expected number of vehicles at all times. On balance the proposed additional use is considered to be acceptable and not to cause such an unacceptable level of harm to the established school use of the site as to warrant a refusal, and in any case it would be in the applicants best interest to ensure no problems arise as the land owner could cease their use at any time which would be a civil matter between the two parties. Visually the proposal is not so far removed from the current car park use and the existing landscaping helps to soften the appearance from the public highway. No highway safety issues are expected as a result of the proposal and the parking of the vehicles here overnight would be at the applicants own risk.

7.2 For the above reasons and as set out in 6.0 of this report the proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 and recommended for approval.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons:

- (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
- (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
- (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material
- (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and
- (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

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 the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 17.05.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

## 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.

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*Data sourced from the Isle of Man public planning register under the [Isle of Man Open Government Licence](https://www.gov.im/about-this-site/open-government-licence/).*
*Canonical page: https://planningportal.im/a/28725-braddan-braddan-school/documents/1039321*