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The project subject of this Planning Application is for a new Vehicle and Driving Test Centre to replace the current facility.
The new Vehicle and Driving Test Centre is to be located on a site immediately adjacent to the current HGV manoeuvring and brake testing lane and in close proximity to the existing facility within the same industrial/employment zone. The adjacent to Ballafletcher Road, Braddan, all as illustrated on the attached drawing number 19/2766/09.
The proposal is to construct the new Test Centre on part of the site currently in the ownership of the Department for Enterprise. Access will be by way of new access roadway from Ballafletcher Road which will also allow for access to the balance of the site for future development.
This relocation will allow the construction of a modern facility to meet the expanded needs of the Test Centre over those which exist in the current premises. The current site will then become available for redevelopment for employment purposes to meet the proposed zoning in the draft Area Plan for the East.
The site of the proposal is currently not developed and is lying unused. The majority of the site lies within land currently zoned for Industrial Use in the Braddan Local Plan 1991. The current Test Centre building is acknowledged within that land zoning, being marked as Government Use, on the zoning Map.
The whole of the site, identified as Site BE 017 in the Area Plan for the East, lies within the employment land zoning, on the developing Area Plan for the East, currently at Draft Plan status, with the Public Inquiry held on the Plan, the Inspector's Report on that Inquiry issued, the Draft Plan modified to reflect the Inspector's report recommendations and in final consultation stage on the modifications prior to finalisation of the Plan and presentation to Tynwald. No modification affecting the zoning of this site has been proposed.
These zonings are illustrated on the attached drawing number 19/2766/09.
Whilst there is no specific use category for the building type relating to these zonings it is submitted that the use in not an inappropriate one for the area as zoned, both as the existing Development Plan for the Area and the emerging Development Plan in the area Plan for the East. Further the existing facility lies within those zoned areas.
The proposed facility is to replace the existing facility, replicating the operations currently carried out and providing for up to date and improved facilities to meet current standards and allowing for expanded vehicle testing requirements to meet changed current and potential future demands, including allowing for disabled access.
The Test Centre provides for both vehicle testing and driving tests. Driving testing is for all categories, including motorcycles, cars, towing trailers and LGV and HGV's. Driving theory testing is currently carried out off-site but allowance has been made in the new facility to allow this to take place at the test facility.
Vehicle testing is for all types of vehicles, including their roadworthiness and annual certification for certain classes of goods and public passenger vehicles, and for forensic testing of RTC vehicles, which requires a storage compound for crashed vehicles and a forensic area within the building for their testing.
The building has a test lane run through, incorporating a pit for Heavy Goods Vehicle testing and test bays with vehicle lifts for car/van testing.
In addition, there is offices for the test centre staff together with staff toilets and welfare facilities, these are purely supporting the facility as staff offices.
A public counter and reception area cater for those attending for testing and for enquiries and processing of applications, public toilets are provided.
Employee numbers providing these services are 1 no. Test Centre Manager, 12 no. Administration Staff, 5 no. Driving Examiners and 6 no. Vehicle Examiners.
Vehicle flow is via a public access two-way system and then a controlled one-way system with separation of driving testing and vehicle testing which is within a barrier controlled secure area.
The Vehicle Test Centre is open to the public form 9.00 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
All tests and examinations are by pre-arranged appointment, the reception area caters for call in counter services including bookings, assisting with applications and dealing with general enquiries.
The Driving Theory Test room will entail attendance for those visiting for the theory test with those attending parking in the public parking spaces and reporting to reception. Theory testing will take place in batches of 10 . With 3 sessions per day and 250 tests generally per month testing will take place on about 8 to 9 days per month.
Department of Infrastructure Replacement Vehicle and Driving Test Centre Statement to Accompany Planning Application
Ellis Brown Architects
Those attending for a Driving Test, of which there are about 370 per month or approximately 19 per day of which approximately 10% are for HGV tests, will attend with their vehicles and wait in a designated waiting area for the examiner on whose arrival they will exit the facility for their test, cars carrying out their reverse manoeuvre in a test area on site. HGV’s will either commence their test from the HGV manoeuvring area or complete their test there. On return they will return to the designated waiting space. To facilitate flow back to the Test Centre yard an extension of the vehicle test lane is proposed, giving access from the end of the lane down to the Test Centre.
Those attending for vehicle testing will bring their vehicle. There are approximately 460 vehicle tests per month equating to about 24 per day (4 per hour) of which 10% are HGV’s. For other than an HGV test those arriving will park in a public parking space and report to reception. An examiner will then remove the vehicle to a test bay, on completion the vehicle will be taken to a waiting bay and the driver advised, who will then take the vehicle along the one-way exit system. Those arriving for a test of an HGV vehicle will drive to the security entry point to the secure compound and report to reception via an audio system, the security barrier will raise and the vehicle will be driven into the compound to a holding area where the driver will be met by an examiner. The examiner will take the vehicle into the test hall and exit the HGV lane at the other end of the building for collection by the driver who will exit the facility on the one-way flow system.
All tests are by appointment at pre-arranged times.
Recovery teams and the Police will have 24 hour access to the secure area of the site for delivery of damaged/defective vehicles to the crash vehicle compound within that secure area.
Parking Provision
There is no specific category within the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 Parking Standards at Transport Policy 7 or Appendix A.7.6 relating to this building type.
If the nearest elemental comparisons were used the following requirements would be produced Giving a total of 33 spaces. However this would not reflect the operational requirements.
| Office 277 sq.m at 1 per 15 sq.m (out of town) | 18.5 spaces |
| Test hall 629 sq.m at 1 per 50 sq.m (general industrial) | 12.5 spaces |
| Store area 308 sq.m at 1 per 100 sq.m (storage/distribution) | 3 spaces |
Department of Infrastructure Replacement Vehicle and Driving Test Centre Statement to Accompany Planning Application Ellis Brown Architects Parking has therefore been provided for these requirements based on the following Staff 24 in number at 1 space per staff member 24 spaces Stay over/day stay (following non HGV vehicle test) 10 spaces Driving Theory Test at 1 space per candidate 10 spaces Arrivals for non HGV vehicle tests 4 spaces General visitors (applications, enquiries etc) 3 spaces Disabled Parking Bays 2 spaces Giving a total of 53 spaces. Parking for driving tests is in a dedicated waiting area for both pre-test arrival and on return from test.
Parking for HGV driving tests is on the HGV test manoeuvring lane or within the Test Centre yard in identified spaces. Parking for HGV vehicles awaiting test is in a dedicated holding area within the secure yard. In addition there is parking for 4 motorcycles and a covered 4 bicycle parking area is provided.
The new access roadway will be two way for public access to and egress from the Test Centre with a one-way flow system being introduced from the limit of the public areas through the test centre yards. Access to these areas will be controlled by barrier, the area will be fenced and gated for security purposes.
Discussions have been held with the Highways authority and, as requested, an appropriate Road Safety Audit will be provided for this application.
The site is a vacant plot lying at the western end of the existing estate and adjacent to the end of the existing Test Centre's Heavy Goods Vehicles testing and manoeuvring testing lane. It is adjacent to the Ballafletcher sports playing fields and a retained development site between this proposed Test Centre site and Ballafletcher Road.
The building is split into two functions, the testing hall and test bays and the support offices and public areas. The vehicle testing areas and forensic testing functions require to be within a secured compound and separated from the publicly accessible functions of driving testing and general public attendance and enquiries. These functions and the operational requirements dictate the form of the building.
Department of Infrastructure Replacement Vehicle and Driving Test Centre Statement to Accompany Planning Application Ellis Brown Architects The attached sketches 19/2766/Sk01 and 19/2766/Sk02 show the design principles adopted.
Access to the site is to be taken from a new roadway formed from Ballafletcher Road, as a two way road to give access and egress to the public parking and public areas of the building. This new roadway also provides for future access to the area retained as a potential development site on the Ballafletcher Road frontage.
From this two way roadway access becomes one way through the site at two locations. One giving public access to the driving test lanes located adjacent to the public entrance to the building, the other off the end of the roadway via a control barrier to the vehicle testing areas.
This gives a flow system through the site in a one way direction to an egress point back on to the two way roadway section and from there to Ballafletcher Road.
The height of the drive through Heavy Goods Vehicle test lane within the test hall has the greatest height requirement, with a lesser need for the non HGV areas with lifts for vehicle inspections. These dictate the volume of the building and allows for a two storey office element alongside the HGV test lane.
The public and general staff areas are located in this two storey part of the building adjacent to the publicly accessible roadway and car parking. The public access points into these areas are within a single storey element as a focal point on the approach along the access road.
The offices and public areas are facing towards Ballafletcher Road and provide a frontage screen to the functional testing halls and forensic testing and compound of the building which are located against the boundaries to the Ballafletcher sports fields and the existing Heavy Goods Vehicle Testing and Manoeuvring Lane.
The site currently slopes from these locations down to the new road and towards the existing estate. To form a level site required for the level floor of the building the site is cut into the ground around the sports field boundaries, with limited fill towards the existing estate boundary. This sets the building lower at the sports field boundaries and this, together the existing planting screen being maintained and reinforcement of planting around the edges on the bankings formed within the site, minimises its visual impact on these boundaries. The crashed vehicle compound is located in the corner of the site adjacent to the Manoeuvring area of the Heavy Goods Vehicle Testing Lane which sits above the site level giving a partial screening to the compound. This screening will be completed by additional planting around the Manoeuvring Area and between the site security fence and the site boundary to the adjacent existing estate.
Photomontages as existing and as proposed are included in the planning application submission illustrating the above and the existing screening afforded to the site by the existing vegetation, trees and bankings on Ballafletcher Road which will be further reinforced by additional planting.
Drainage connections will be made to the existing sewer systems with flow of storm water being controlled by the installation of attenuation tanks within the test centre site, as described in the attached Design Statement from the engineers GSA for the proposed Surface Water Drainage.
Project No: 2019.206 Project: Proposed Vehicle Test Centre Subject: Design Statement for the proposed Surface Water Drainage Date: 5 March 2020 GRAHAM SCHOFIELD ASSOCIATES CONSULTING CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
72 Balcarres Road Leyland PR25 3ED
Tel (01772) 459383 Website grahamschofieldassociates.co.uk Email [email protected]
1.1 It is proposed to develop a vacant piece of land off Ballafletcher Road, Tromode Braddan, Douglas, IM4 to create a replacement Vehicle Test Centre
1.2 The land is currently vacant, undeveloped and surfaced with rough ground and vegetation thereby rendering the full foot print of the site, permeable. The site area is approximately 1.0 Ha.
1.3 The site lies outside a coastal or river flood zone therefore the design and disposal of the surface water shall be based upon the Building Regulations hierarchy for the disposal of surface water drainage, namely
(i) soak-a-way to ground (ii) watercourse (iii) public sewer
1.4 An intrusive site investigation has been undertaken by CC Geotechnical Ltd in December 2019. The underlying ground conditions are cohesive, ie clay’s, which have low permeability values. As such the use of soak-a-ways as a means of surface water disposal is not feasible.
1.5 There are no watercourses within an economic or practical distance from the site for the disposal of surface water.
1.6 The option of disposal to the existing estate drainage is therefore the only feasible solution.
2.1 The rate of discharge of surface water from the site into the local drainage network shall be limited to the equivalent of its existing "greenfield" run-off rate. This shall be achieved by the introduction of underground attenuation tanks with the pass forward flow being controlled by a hydro-brake or similar means. 2.2 The following design criteria shall be simulated using winDes micro-drainage programme to determine the critical cases (i) 30 year storm event when all water will be contained within the surface water drainage system (ii) 100 year plus $40 \%$ climate change with a permitted allowance of surcharge provided that this is contained within a low risk area, eg car park, and has no effect on the building and adjoining ownership.
A conservative preliminary design for the surface water drainage has been carried out and is indicated on our drawing number 2019.206.001E accompanying this report and the planning application. 2.2 Additional precautions shall be taken by introducing a Class I full retention separator prior to the surface water entering the local drainage network.
DATE: 15/2766/SK.02
ELLIS BROWN + ARCHITECTS.
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