DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/00217/B Applicant: Mrs Janet Sarah Thompson Proposal: Removal of rear sloping roof, erection of conservatory at first floor level and replacement shed in rear yard. Site Address: Conamur Athol Street Port St. Mary Isle Of Man IM9 5DS Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken: 11.03.2020 Site Visit: 11.03.2020 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 27.03.2020 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions 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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The proposal will have either a neutral or positive impact on the character and appearance of the property and the surrounding area and the works therefore comply with GP 2 and EP 35 of the Strategic Plan. The application is therefore supported.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the supporting information and Drw. No 2694/4.1.20 date stamped and received on 25th February 2020. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site represents the residential curtilage of an existing property situated on the western side of Athol Street, in the heart of Port St. Mary. Within the curtilage of the property is an enclosed rear yard which serves as the external space for the property. The property is a dwelling with part office.

THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Proposed is the removal of the rear sloping roof, erection of conservatory at the first floor level and replacement of shed in rear yard.

2.2 The first part of the proposed works will involve the removal of the rear sloping roof on the ground floor section of the building north-west of the site with direct access to the existing office. The upper section of the wall on this section of the building will be removed to create a straight platform for the proposed first floor conservatory; leaving a straightened section that is

• 2.4m high from the ground level to the base of the platform.

2.3 A conservatory will be created on the first floor. This conservatory would be 5.5m, 3.9m deep on the eastern wall and 5m wide on the western wall. The eastern wall overlooking the rear yard will have the upper section made of glazing, while the lower sections will have timber walling. The conservatory will be 1.6m high on the lower section and 2.5m high on the section leaning on the main building, with its mono-pitched roof sloping away from the main building. The window directly over the existing rear sloping roof on the first floor will be removed and replaced with a door to enable access to the new conservatory. - 2.4 The existing concrete block shed south-west of the site will be removed and replaced with a shed with timber walls. The doors on both ends of the shed will be removed and replaced with a double door situated on the left of the shed. There would be no changes to the floor area of the shed.

PLANNING POLICY The site lies within an area of Predominantly Shopping on the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982. The site is within an area classified as 'Mixed Use' on the Area Plan for the South (2013), reflecting the variety of uses in the area which comprises residential, tourist accommodation, shops offices, public house and cafes. The site is also within a Proposed Conservation Area. Given the nature of the proposal, the following sections of the Strategic Plan are applicable.

3.2 Environmental Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan states:

"Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

3.3 Due to the land use designation, General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 applies (in part). "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; (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."

3.4 Paragraph 8.12.1 states: "As a general policy, in built up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general." - 3.5 It is also important to consider guidance and policy regarding development in Conservation Areas: Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man) Policy CA/2, (Conservation Areas); "When considering proposals for the possible development of any land or buildings which fall within the conservation area, the impact of such proposals upon the special character of the area, will be a material consideration when assessing the application."

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The site has been the subject of three previous planning applications one of which is considered to be materially relevant in the assessment and determination of the current application.

PA 95/0225/B, for alterations and construction of conservatory. Note: the current application contains proposed works that are similar to that approved in this application.

REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only.

5.1 Representations from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division indicate that they 'Do not oppose' in a letter dated 10 March 2020.

5.2 There has been no written representation made regarding the current planning application by the Port St. Mary Commissioners at the time of writing this report, although they were consulted on 4 March 2020. ASSESSMENT - 6.1 In considering proposals such as this in a Proposed Conservation Area, it important to have specific regard to potential impacts on neighbours and their amenity, and the appearance of both the site itself and the street scene or character of the area.

6.2 Impact on Appearance of the Dwelling and nature of the Street Scene

• 6.2.1 The proposed works would in effect 'tidy up' the appearance of the rear of the dwelling architecturally and create more functional spaces, and would not detract from the overall appearance of the dwelling. Likewise, the creation of the conservatory on the first floor would not be a detriment to appearance as it would seamlessly fit into the character of the rear elevation, not minding the fact that the conservatory would enhance the appearance of this rear elevation which is particularly bland.
• 6.2.2 Moreover, the proposed conservatory with its mono-pitched roof which leans away from the main building with pitch and slope similar to that of the main building would be an improvement on the roof of the existing rear extension which has a roof slope that slopes towards the building. The wall cladding for the conservatory will also match the shed walls, creating a continuous timber finish within the rear yard; thus enhancing the views. It is also

• noted that the proposed works would be completely confined within the rear yard with no views form the surrounding highways, although there would be constrained views from the upper floors of the neighbouring dwellings.
• 6.2.3 Considering all of the works would be confined to the rear, it is not considered that the proposed works will have any significant impacts on the character or appearance of the Proposed Conservation Area or adjoining street scene.

6.3 Impact on Neighbours

• 6.3.1 The key considerations in terms of impact on neighbours are risks of overshadowing and/or overlooking and loss of privacy to dwellings within 20 metres of the site dwelling.
• 6.3.2 The aspect of the proposed development with the potential to impact on neighbouring amenity would be the conservatory, considering it would be on the first floor. However, since this extension would not be any higher than the existing boundary walls and would be contained within the existing boundary treatment, there would not be any detriment to the neighbouring amenity of the adjoining or nearby dwellings.

CONCLUSION

7.1 In summary, the proposal meets the requirements of the aforementioned policies in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and is acceptable. INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material. 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 above who should be given Interested Person Status

I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 30.03.2020

Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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 onlineservices/customers and archive records.