**Document:** Planning and Design Statement **Application:** 17/00640/B — Conversion and extension of existing detached garage to provide a home office and music room for teaching purposes **Decision:** Application Withdrawn **Decision Date:** 2017-08-24 **Parish:** German **Document Type:** report / planning_statement **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/22716-german-16-stanley-conversion-extension/documents/1325742 --- # Planning and Design Statement ## Andrew Bentley Architect Ltd 8 Ravens Wharf South Quay Douglas Isle of Man IM1 5BT ### Planning and Design Statement v2 Project: Proposed Music Room and Home Office in Existing Garage to the Rear of 16 Stanley Road, Peel. Project no: 1705-GM Date: May 2017 ## Proposed Music Room and Home Office, 16 Stanley Road, Peel Planning and Design Statement Contents 1.0 Site and Surroundings 2.0 Planning History and Policy 3.0 Drainage 4.0 Parking and Access 5.0 Client's Brief 6.0 The Proposal ## 1.0 Site and Surroundings 1.1 The proposed site is an existing garage to the rear of 16 Stanley Road. The garage is accessed from Gib Lane to the rear. 1.2 Gib lane and the garage floor are approximately 1.7 m lower than the garden to 16 Stanley Road. The walls to the garage are retaining walls in three sides. Access is only via the garage door in Gib Lane. 1.3 The northwest wall is the boundary wall to the garden of no. 18 Stanley Road. There is a path and steps between the southeast wall and the boundary wall to no.14. The site is on a hill and no.16's garden is lower than that of no. 14 and higher than no.18's. 1.4 The northeast elevation is the garage door and faces Gib lane. There are no buildings opposite, thus providing a view over the bay and up the east coast. 1.5 The garage has a footprint of 47 sqm . The ridge height is 1.9 m higher than the garden and 3.6 m higher than Gib Lane. ## 2.0 Planning History and Policy 2.1 The site is located within Peel and is therefore subject to General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan. 2.2 Site is located within the Peel Conservation Area. 2.3 Apart from a 2009 window replacement application the last planning application at 16 Stanley Road was for the garage in 1987. #### 3.0 Drainage 3.1 At present the rainwater drainage is deposited onto the drive in front of the garage door and runs onto Gib Lane. 3.2 There is a combined sewer in Gib Lane. #### 4.0 Parking and Access 4.1 The garage is wide enough for a single car, but is long enough to accommodate two cars. The garage is presently used for storage. 4.2 Appendix 7 of the Strategic Plan expects the provision of two parking spaces per house, although this would be relaxed in an area which was close to public transport, employment and public amenities. 4.3 There is a layby on the opposite side of Gib lane which is owned by 16 Stanley Road and is large enough for parking three cars. ## 5.0 Client's Brief 5.1 The client is a music teacher who wishes to work from home. The client wishes to convert the garage into his music room and home office as the piano to too big to fit comfortably within 16 Stanley Road. 5.2 The client wishes to access the music room from the garden at the higher level rather than having to descend to Gib lane to enter. 5.3 The preference is for students to enter the music room from Gib Lane rather than entering through the main house. 5.4 The gardens to the rear of the uphill neighbours (12 and 14 Stanley Road) enjoy views over the existing garage roof towards Peel Castle and Peel Bay. The client is keen to minimise the impact on their neighbours' view. 5.5 The music room will need to include a WC, a waiting area, kitchenette, a piano area, a study area and somewhere for the washing machine as there isn't space inside 16 Stanley Road to accommodate it. ## 6.0 The Proposal 6.1 The proposal shall see the garage developed in three different ways along its length. 6.2 The music room will be in the central part of the building where the existing roof will be replaced by a flat roof that is slightly higher than the existing ridge line. The flat roof was chosen so that the ceiling height could be raised to allow clerestory windows for natural light, to allow rainwater to drain away from no. 18 and to provide better acoustics. The flat roof allows this to be done without blocking the view to the castle and the bay for the neighbours to the east. 6.3 At the Gib Lane end there will be a waiting area and WC for visitors. As the ceiling doesn't need to be any higher and natural light is available from the Gib Lane elevation there is no need to change the roof at this end of the building. The existing garage door will be replaced by a panel containing the entrance door, window and some solid for the WC. 6.4 At the Stanley Road end of the building is a kitchenette and staircase up to the garden level and a small home office. The concept is for the first floor to be a small pavilion in the garden. This additional floor will have an area of 18 sqm and is the only part of the proposal that will be significantly higher than the existing ridge line. The ridge to the additional storey will run perpendicular to the existing ridge so that it will minimise the impact on the neighbours' view and allow rainwater to drain away from the garden of no.18. 6.5 The materials chosen are as follows - Reused artificial slates from the existing garage on the pavilion roof. - Smooth painted render for the walls. - Windows in anthracite PVC 6.6 The house will maintain three parking spaces within its curtilage despite the loss of the garage. 6.7 Drainage. It has been agreed with building control that the rainwater from the Stanley Road side of the pavilion will go to a soakaway in the garden. Consultation has taken place with Ian Wade of Manx Utilities Drainage. Mr Wade has advised that the remaining rainwater drainage and the proposed WC will be able to connect into the combined sewer as the rainwater already flows into this sewer via gullies in Gib Lane. 6.8 The proposal is for a small home office for the house's occupant to use as a place of work. There is no intention to employ people to work from the business. --- *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/22716-german-16-stanley-conversion-extension/documents/1325742*