DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/01218/B Applicant: Continent 8 Technologies Ltd Proposal: Alterations to extraction flues on existing generator Site Address: Continent 8 House (Units 3B, 3C & 3D) Middle River Industrial Estate Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 1AL Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken: 01.12.2020 Site Visit: 01.12.2020 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 23.12.2020 _________________________________________________________________

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. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing no. 0001, 0010, 0011, 0012, 0100, 0101, 0102 date-stamped as having been received on 13th October 2020. ______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is the commercial curtilage of Continent 8 House (Units 3B, 3C & 3D), Middle River Industrial Estate, Pulrose Road, Douglas, a mono-storey industrial unit located on the southeast of a service road. At the rear of the site, there are two industrial generators with flues.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposed works is the removing of existing vertical flues, which extend toward the front of the site, and the installation of two new vertical flues extending towards the rear of the site.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Conversion of three existing light industry and warehousing units, to a data centre with ancillary offices was APPROVED under PA 07/00449/B and Extension of existing flues was approved under PA 10/01654/B.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 In terms of local policy, the site lies within an area designated as Industrial in the Area Plan for the East. - 4.2 In terms of strategic policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: - 4.3 General Policy 2: "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".

5.0 REPRESENTATION - 5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection on this application (11/11/2020). - 5.2 DoI Highway Services states there is no highway interest in this application (13/11/2020).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main concerns for this application are its impact on the character and landscape of the area and its impact on the amenities of the neighbours. - 6.2 The flue is not readily visible by the public. Since there is no change in height and the area already consists of industrial character, it is considered that there is no impact on the character of the area. - 6.3 In the absence of any evidence that this currently proposed flue will result in harm to the working conditions of those in adjacent buildings, the application is considered acceptable.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan and Residential Design Guide. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval.

8.0 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 which 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 and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 24.12.2020 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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