**Document:** Review Statement Planning Committee Decision **Application:** 04/01858/B — Change of use of building to a Full Day Care Nursery with creation of an additional pedestrian access **Decision:** Refused **Decision Date:** 2004-11-01 **Parish:** Lezayre **Document Type:** report / planning_statement **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/76919-lezayre-mona-house-change-of-use/documents/1424887 --- # Review Statement Planning Committee Decision 4.03.1 The School Travel Strategy is an issue which has been addressed by the United Kingdom Government, namely the Department of Transport. The following are some of the reasons why the strategy was developed: - Problems associated with congestion outside schools and nursery's. - Concerns about health, fitness and quality of life. - Keen to teach your child to manage roads and traffic safely. - Interested in sustainable travel choices The UK Department of Transport and many teachers, pupils and parent(s) have decided that it is time to do something about it. Together, they are working on the School Travel Strategy. The project aims to: - Reduce car journeys to school - Improve safety - Improve health and wellbeing Sometimes, there may be no alternative to using the car. For other times, remember the benefits of leaving the car behind and walking can include the following: - Improve health through exercise - Reduce congestion and pollution - Improve children's road safety skills - Be fun 4.04.1 Subject to Planning Approval, registration of the Child Day Care Nursery would be subject to: - Compliance with the standards as identified in the document entitled ‘Day Care Standards for under Eights (Full Day Care)’ produced by the Department of Health and Social Security (Social Services Division) in April 2003. This document was issued to the applicant at the initial site meeting at Mona House with the Elaine Payne, Registrations and Inspection Officer. - Authorisation by the Department of any persons having involvement in the management/running/administration, having any financial interest in the proposed facility or having access to the premises whilst they are being used as a child day care facility. - Staffing requirements being implemented in accordance with the requirements of the Department. It is a requirement that the Person in Charge and Deputy Person in Charge of a Full Day Care Facility must hold a relevant qualification and the Person in Charge must have at least 2 years experience of working with children in a supervisory capacity. At all times a least half of the staff must be suitably qualified. - A Satisfactory report from the Fire Safety Department that the premises meets their requirements. - A Satisfactory report from the Directorate of Environment, Safety and Health that the premises meet their requirements. - Payment of the fee for registration 4.04.2 We have studied in detail the document entitled ‘Day Care Standards for under Eights (Full Day Care)’ produced by the Department of Health and Social Security (Social Services Division) in April 2003, and have not found a condition that would require a ‘Drop off and Pick up’ area adjacent to a proposed nursery. The applicant intends to comply with all the Departments conditions before making an application for registration under the Children and Young Persons Act 2001. 4.05 ‘Highway Safety’ 4.05.1 In a letter dated the 13 October 2004 from Mr. Ken Ashcroft, Network Planning Manager of the Department of Transport, the following observation was made: ‘No adverse traffic impacts, subject to the imposition of the following conditions’: The proposed nursery shall not operate until the car parking spaces referred to in the letter Dated 9 September are provided to the satisfaction of the Planning Committee. **Reasons for Condition:** To ensure the provision of satisfactory vehicle parking arrangements. We were requested by the planning department to submit further information, so that this application could be considered (See Appendix C). With this further information we confirmed that three dedicated private car parking spaces for staff were to be located within a garage connected to Mona House. 4.06 ‘Second Reason for Refusal’ 4.06.1 The planning committee made the following statement as the second reason for refusing the applicants proposals: “By reason of its location adjacent to a busy highway the Planning Committee considers that the use of the front garden area for formal child recreational activities is potentially dangerous and as such unacceptable. Furthermore, there is concern that the actual use of this area may require the construction of additional walling and fencing, which may have a detrimental impact on the character of the Conversation Area and the setting of the neighbouring Registered Building”. 4.07 ‘Potentially dangerous and as such unacceptable’ 4.07.1 Child recreational activities have risks associated with hazards, we have identified the primary hazard of falling. To minimise injury of a child who may fall the applicant has proposed that a rubber matting is laid over concrete. This rubber matting must be approved by the DHSS before installation. The remaining area to the front garden is to be grassed. (See Figure 2) 4.07.2 The maximum number of children allowed in the garden area at any one time is eight. The minimum number of staff to supervise the children is two. Figure 2: Showing the proposed safety matting and grassed area to the front garden area 4.08 'Furthermore, there is concern that the actual use of this area may require the construction of additional walling or fencing, which may have a detrimental impact on the character of the Conversation Area and the setting of the neighbouring Registered Building' 4.08.1 The registered building that is of concern to the planning committee is the church that borders South promenade, Dale Street and Mona Street. The entrance to the church is accessed from South Promenade. We have prepared a section through the existing garden wall, section A – A. This section clearly shows that an eight year old child could not comfortably climb the perimeter. The applicant now proposes a hedge is grown to the inside perimeter. (See Figure 3) ![A site plan detailing the external layout for a nursery, showing a rubber matting play area, grassed sections, and new pedestrian access points.](https://images.planningportal.im/2004/09/371173.jpg) ![A technical section drawing illustrating a boundary wall detail with a child figure for scale and annotations regarding wall height and hedging.](https://images.planningportal.im/2004/09/371174.jpg) Figure 3: Showing the proposed safety matting and grassed area to the front garden area ### Section A - A 4.08.2 We believe that the garden wall to Mona House was a very late edition; we estimate that it was constructed in the 1890's. Usually walls of this date to the front of houses would have had a wrought iron railings fixed to the top of the copping. There are many and various examples of copping styles to be found in the Isle of Man. We consider that the simple curve to the top of the copping, possibly illustrates that the owner of the time may have been working within a tight budget and may not have allowed for railings. There may also have been railings at one time, and there condition may have fallen into a state of disrepair and the owner had them removed. The applicant is willing to fix new railings to the wall if set as a condition by the committee. ## Review Statement of Planning Committee Decision ![photograph from page 7](https://images.planningportal.im/2004/09/371175.jpg) PA 04/01858/B **5.00 Planning Issues** 5.00 Planning Issues 5.01 ‘Parking Generally’ 5.01.1 We have previously described in section 4.03 the policy of the ‘School Travel Strategy’ and we understand that most parent(s) will use a vehicle to transport their children to a nursery. We would like to make the planning committee aware that the following parking arrangements are available all within a five minute walk of Mona House: - Across the road from Mona House, on Dale Street with parking for approximately 10 cars between the months of October through to April - Market Square - Queens Promenade - St. Pauls Square 5.02 ‘Survey completed by Charterhouse International’ 5.02.1 We recently contacted Charterhouse International and explained the applicant’s proposals to Janece Pugh, a Human Resources Executive at the company. We explained that the application was refused and that we were preparing a review statement in support of the proposals. We asked if the Staff and the Human Resources Team, could support the application considering that the town’s largest employer’s offices are within a five minute walk from Mona House, and that this is a facility that local businesses should welcome. 5.02.2 We received the following E-mail from Charterhouse: Damien I have reviewed the responses from our staff at Charterhouse International regarding Full Day Care Nursery Facilities. The results are as follows: 07 staff said they would be interested 21 staff said maybe interested 43 staff said no We have around 280 staff working here at the moment, so the response has been about 25%. We also have other 10 staff who are either on maternity leave or going on maternity leave. I hope this information will assist you with the review statement. Please remember that our employees may choose to go with any day care provider they choose Regards Janece Pugh Human Resources Executive 5.03 ‘Summary of Planning Issues’ 5.03.1 A summary of the planning issues which should be taken into consideration when reviewing this Application are as follows: - New enterprise with a business plan to employ up to eight people when the nursery has reached full capacity. - The building which was built in circa 1750 is currently unoccupied. If this application was approved the fabric would be protected and maintained. - No objection from the Registrations & Inspections Officer, Social Services, who has visited Mona House to inspect its suitability as a Full Day Care Nursery Facility subject to Planning Approval and compliance with the Children and Young Persons Act 2001. - No objection by the Department of Transport and no adverse traffic impacts, subject to the three dedicated private car parking spaces for staff which will be located within the garage connected to Mona House and subject to these proposed parking arrangements being satisfactory to the Planning Committee - No additional public utilities required, the site has existing connections with water, drainage and electricity supplies. An oil fired boiler heating system is in place. - No objection from the Isle of Man Fire & Rescue Service. - Building Regulations Approval 2003, the proposed material change of use, from residential to a Full Day Care Nursery Facility were approved and plans passed, application Ref: No. 04/07462/OTH, dated the 21st September 2004. - Mona House currently has Approval in Principle for conversion to offices, application Ref: No. 02/01390/C, dated the 22nd November 2002. The Applicant would like the Planning Committee to take into the consideration the following circumstances: - New Business - The significant investment in the business - The need to provide Child Day Care Nursery Facilities in Ramsey, a town which is continuing to develop to provide accommodation for residential and business needs. When considering that the town’s largest employer’s offices are within a five minute walk from Mona House, this is a facility that local businesses should welcome. In all the circumstances, the Applicant would respectfully submit that this application should be granted on review. Review Statement of Planning Committee Decision PA 04/01858/B Appendix A Site Location ![photograph from page 11](https://images.planningportal.im/2004/09/371176.jpg) --- *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/76919-lezayre-mona-house-change-of-use/documents/1424887*