**Document:** Officer Report **Application:** 15/00030/B — Re-rendering of dwellings and installation of new canopies over front entrance doors **Decision:** Permitted **Decision Date:** 2015-02-13 **Parish:** Lezayre **Document Type:** report / officer_report **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/5569-lezayre-princes-road-cronk-elfin-canopies-rerendering/documents/915072 --- # Officer Report **Application No.:** 15/00030/B **Applicant:** Ramsey Town Commissioners **Proposal:** Re-rendering of dwellings and installation of new canopies over front entrance doors **Site Address:** 43- 52 Prince's Road & 1-42 Cronk Elfin Ramsey Isle of Man IM8 2EX Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley **Photo Taken:** 27.01.2015 **Site Visit:** 27.01.2015 **Expected Decision Level:** Officer Delegation ## Officer’s Report 1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of some 52 dwellings in the ownership of Ramsey Town Commissioners along with the highway access and some public open space. The dwellings are a mixture of terraces of 6 units in length and 4 units in length, along with a number of pairs of semi-detached units as well. - 1.2 Ten of the dwellings front onto Prince's Road, while the remaining 42 are arranged around an oval-shaped highway loop that fully encloses the open space. All the dwellings are of a similar design to one another. The terraced dwellings all offer double-storey projecting gables: in the shorter terraces, these gables bookend the building, while in the longer terraces they bookend the building but are also located centrally within the terrace. None of the terraced dwellings have porches. The semi-detached dwellings, meanwhile, present its gables to the sides. These dwellings have open-fronted, flat-roofed porches. All the dwellings are finished in a dashed render. 2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for the re-rendering of the chimneys and front and rear elevations of the properties, along with the addition of pitched porch roofs above all the front doors and the replacement of the existing flat porch roofs with pitched porch roofs. The porches would be constructed of white timber and grey tiling. The existing render is failing. The new render would also be dashed, although there would be some feature colour panels at first floor as an attempt, according to the agent, to "introduce variation to the properties' facades to create a more varied streetscape than exists". - 2.2 No colour for the render has been provided. The agent advises that it is not possible to be clear on the render colours unless and until planning approval is granted such that formal tenders for the work can be sourced. They therefore request - not unreasonably, it is considered - that the colours for the scheme be left to condition should planning approval be forthcoming. Generally speaking, changes to a dwelling's colour would not normally comprise development. The scale and nature of the changes proposed - an entire estate, and ten dwellings outside of it - it is considered that it would be appropriate to apply a condition requiring sight of the proposed colour palette were the application to be considered acceptable in all other respects. 2.3 It should be noted that, while land within the ownership of the Department of Infrastructure falls inside the application site, no development is proposed to this land. 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Seven of the dwellings within the site have previously received planning approval for the installation of satellite dishes (all of which were prior to satellite dishes being given Permitted Development rights), one of which has planning approval for two. Other than this, no other planning applications have been submitted since 1982. 4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 The site falls within an area zoned as Predominantly Residential on the Ramsey Local Plan. No policies in the Local Plan are considered to directly apply to the proposal, but specific elements of General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan are relevant, which presumes in favour of development that is appropriate in form, scale and design relative to both the site and its surroundings. 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Ramsey Commissioners offered no objection to the proposal on 29th January 2015, although it should be noted that the Commissioners are the applicants. 6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 Although the proposal is fairly large in scope, the scale of what is proposed is actually fairly minor. The proposed alterations to the dwellings are considered likely to result in an overall improvement to each dwelling and to the streetscene and would, as the applicant hopes, introduce some variety here. - 6.2 While the general area is very much of its era and presents fairly modest housing, almost all give the impression as being well-kept and in good repair. It is not considered that the area is necessarily in need of an uplift of the kind here proposed, but the porches and different-coloured render scheme are certainly welcomed for the reasons outlined above. - 6.3 The porches on the dwellings in the gable projections would be slightly awkward as each of the front doors have a tall but narrow window alongside them such that the positioning of a porch roof above both of these would give an asymmetrical impression. However, the general benefit that the scheme would otherwise bring through the introduction of some simple but traditional design features is more than sufficient to outweigh this fairly minor concern. 7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 It is considered that the works as a whole will improve the visual amenity of the streetscene and the individual dwellings as well. In this, the proposal complies with General Policy 2 and is recommended for approval, subject to the condition regarding the colour palette as outlined in paragraph 2.2 of this report. 8.1 In line with Article 6(4) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure)(No2) Order 2013, the following Persons are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application: the applicant or, if there is one, the applicant's agent; the owner and occupier of the land the subject of the application; Highway Services, and the Local Authority in whose district the land the subject of the application sits. Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 10.02.2015 Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal C : Conditions for approval - N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal - O : Notes attached to refusals - 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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals. - C 2. Prior to the application of any new render, the applicant must have approved by the Department a colour scheme for the development hereby approved and the development must be undertaken in accordance with these details. Reason: the preserve the amenities of the area. The approval hereby issued relates to the following plans, date-stamped as having been received 14th January 2015: 01, 02, 03 and 04. I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control /Head of Development Management/ Senior Planning Officer. Decision Made : Permitted Date: 11.02.2015 Determining officer (delete as appropriate) Signed :…………………………………….. Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer Signed: Sarah Corlett Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Signed :…………………………………….. Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control Jennifer Chance Head of Development Management --- *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/5569-lezayre-princes-road-cronk-elfin-canopies-rerendering/documents/915072*