**Document:** 04A Planning Statement **Application:** 23/00468/B — Construct a tennis court in the garden North West side of the house; Construct a soakaway in the south garden **Decision:** Permitted **Decision Date:** 2023-07-11 **Parish:** Malew **Document Type:** report / planning_statement **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/10227-malew-lorne-house-dwelling/documents/969412 --- # 04A Planning Statement - 01 APPLICATION DETAILS Lorne House Douglas Street Castletown IM9 1AZ Registered Building No 269 The site is within the Castletown Conservation Area Tom + Lara Inskip • Applicant Horncastle Thomas Limited • Agent - 02 DESIGN - 02.1 DESCRIPTION Lorne House (originally ‘Lorn House’ until the name was altered in the 20th century) is a large Georgian house set in large grounds to the north of the harbour in Castletown. The house was built in 1826-7 and, although there is no documentary evidence, is thought to be the work of Thomas Brine (1766-1840). Lorne House was added to the Register of Protected Buildings on 11th November 2015 on account of: its Architectural Interest and/ or Aesthetic Quality; its Historic Interest; and for its Close Historical Association: "The house is noted for the survival of many original Georgian features, for being sited on ancient Abbey land and for having been the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Island between 1834 and 1860.” - 02.2 The proposals in this application supplement those included in the recent approved applications outlining a range of alterations to the house: 22/00280/CON + 22/00281/GB approved 21.06.22 22/01523/GB + 2201524/CON approved 31.03.23 For a full description and assessment of the building, please refer to the statement of significance in appendix A accompanying the previous applications - 02.3 This application seeks permission to construct a tennis court, sunken a maximum of 600mm into the existing garden to the North West side of the house, partially covering the location of an earlier tennis court The previous tennis court is thought to have been constructed during the Christian Endeavour Holiday Homes period, discernable in the aerial photograph 01, dated 1969 and later surveyed in 1997 before being used as a car parking area and then removed on the construction of the modern garage during the previous ownership The adjacent garden wall constructed (presumed to have been constructed with the garage) bisects the previous tennis court location. It is proposed to retain the wall and construct the new court on the 'house' side of the wall The garden to the North West of the house appears generally level but the level does fall away towards the front of the property and it is proposed that the surface of the court built at a reduced level to a maximum of 600mm to provide a level playing surface and to reduce the visibility of the court from the house and neighbouring properties. The playing surface would be approximately level at the front garden end with the ground raked back to form a bank on the 3 other sides. Sinking the court into the landscape also aims to avoid a visibly raised surface as the site falls towards the southern border - 02.4 This application also seeks permission to construct a soakaway in the south garden, a minimum of 5m from the veranda and well away from the trees that border the front garden As well as accommodating surface water from the proposed tennis court, the soakaway will be designed with capacity for the surface water from the basement works first approved in application 22/00280/CON + 22/00281/GB, and new downpipe from existing gutter connections approved in 22/01523/GB + 2201524/CON from the North Western section of the main roof A trail pit and percolation test is proposed to be undertaken in the coming weeks to confirm the suitability of the ground in the proposed location 02.5 A tree survey of the existing trees around the proposed tennis court has been undertaken by Manx Roots • Tree Management to assess possible RPA incursions for and to fine-tune the proposed location of the tennis court to minimise any potential impact The results of the survey are included on a sheet appended to this application submission. Manx Roots • Tree Management are in the process of completing a report outlining their assessment of the impact of the proposed construction on the adjacent trees and setting out a method statement to minimise the impact on the trees during the construction of the court A 12/05/2023 Amended description 14/04/2023 ISSUE This drawing is issued for the sole purpose of applying for planning + registered building consents and is not to be used for any other purpose; ie not to be used for the purpose of costing or construction PLANNING Tom + Lara Inskip 285_Lorne House Castletown ## 04.A Number Scale A3 Planning statement Do not scale from this drawing • All dimensions must be checked on site prior to commencing works. Any discrepancy found between information given on this drawing and that given elsewhere or recorded on site shall be notified immediately to the project architect in writing. 20 Athol Street Douglas ISLE OF MAN IM1 1JA © horncastle:thomas a r c h i t e c t s + d e s i g n e r s 01624 663 383 ![A black and white aerial photograph showing a coastal town with a prominent castle structure and surrounding buildings.](https://images.planningportal.im/2023/04/7007739.png) ![A photograph showing a grassy garden area with a stone outbuilding and a stone wall, with a white house visible on the right side.](https://images.planningportal.im/2023/04/7007740.jpg) ![A photograph showing a large grassy garden area with stone buildings in the background, including a single-story outbuilding and a larger house.](https://images.planningportal.im/2023/04/7007741.jpg) ![A photograph showing a grassy garden area with a stone boundary wall and a stone outbuilding in the background.](https://images.planningportal.im/2023/04/7007742.jpg) ![A photograph showing a large detached stone house with a spacious grassy garden and mature trees.](https://images.planningportal.im/2023/04/7007743.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/10227-malew-lorne-house-dwelling/documents/969412*