Additional Parking Information - Supporting Statement

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Consultancy Design Planning Management Build

Department of Infrastructure Head Office Sea Terminal Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2RF

Ref: JTM-054/P/04 4th November 2016 To Ms Reid,

Re: PA 16/00356/B - Access Statement for Planning Application for the Change of Use of an Existing Office Building into 7 No. Apartments: <br> Canada-Life House, Alexandra Road, Castletown. Isle of Man

Further to our recent meeting (Thursday 3rd November 2016) regarding the above Planning Application, please be advised that I would like to clarify the issues that we discussed.

1. The Application is for 7 No. Residential Apartments with a minimum 10 No. Car Parking Spaces. These Apartments are accessible to wheelchair users and disabled users, however they are not specifically designed for sheltered accommodation, care homes etc.
2. Drawing JTM-054-P-11 (previously sent to you) shows the visibility splays, parking layouts and position of the traffic mirror on site. The best solution to the existing traffic scenario is to increase the size of the traffic mirror to the entrance of the site to show a wider section of road and traffic coming from the right-hand side. The image below shows the portion of bridge on the opposite side of the road almost directly opposite the exit. I believe that positioning the traffic mirror on this side of the road will prove to be a hindrance to the visibility of the traffic as the entrance/exit is on an incline and focus must be maintained as early as possible on the exit of the site. This could be a 600 mm diameter or similar mirror on the existing stand.

Port Erin/Port St. Mary Approach towards Canada-Life House showing Traffic Mirror, access points to site and the round-about

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1. The Building has level access at Basement and Ground Floor level (onto the existing raised balcony/platform) for wheelchair users or have difficulty using stairs. The building has an existing lift to aid vertical movement throughout the building.
2. In terms of access to Castletown, there is a pedestrian crossing on Victoria Road (next to Station Garage) however the Roundabout which connects Alexandra Road, Victoria Road \& Bridge Street does have a dropped kerb and gap in the traffic island, although this will require a dropped kerb from the pavement to allow a wheelchair to be able to utilise this area to cross. The dropped kerb should be continued onto Victoria Road to allow access to the local amenities available on this stretch of road.

Alexandra Road/Victoria Road/Bridge Street roundabout with dropped kerb on the opposite side of the road

1. With a potential mixture of residents there will be proportionately different times where residents enter and exit the building, however in the buildings guise as an office there would have been several vehicles attempting to enter or exit the car park at any one time. Also, entry and exit would be required for workers attending meetings (either within Canada-Life House or on other sites) so the general traffic flow, although difficult to predict, should essentially be more sporadic than that of an office and therefore potentially safer and less congested at Peak Times. It is considered that the Apartments would suit workers who could walk into Castletown, however there would be some traffic at Peak Times but not as many attempting to park or cross the road as the numbers of staff that worked in the former office. With adequate parking on site for the number of residential properties there would also be less off-site parking in areas around the site.
2. The Access options to the building are dated in terms of current standards and it is accepted that improvements need to be made to make it accessible to all users. The current traffic mirror has proved sufficient for traffic entering and exiting the site daily although increasing the size of the mirror in its current location will improve visibility of oncoming traffic to the right of the entrance (from Port Erin/Port St. Mary).
3. The roundabout connecting Alexandra Road, Bridge Street \& Victoria Road which slows traffic in the area immediately in front of Canada-Life House. Visibility is sufficient from the left due to the slowing roundabout traffic. The position of the roundabout does not give any option for overtaking especially considering the proximity of the entrance to the proposal site which makes this a safer point to join the traffic.

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1. The existing approach from Port Erin/Port St. Mary has a speed monitor as well as signage advising road-users that there is a roundabout on the approach to Canada-life House as well as the visible openings to the site which should encourage road-users to slow down. There is also a road sign for a School which acts as a further speed deterrent.

Port Erin/Port St. Mary Approach towards Canada-Life House Monitoring Speed

Port Erin/Port St. Mary Approach towards Canada-Life House showing round-a-bout ahead

Other options for residents to access Castletown or further afield are by car, bike or the local bus stop. It is accepted that potential purchasers of these apartments will do their own assessment of whether they wish to live next to a main road, however there are some 2-bed Apartments which could encourage assisted living, living with aged parents or support workers that visit and drive/walk residents to their preferred destination.

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Consultancy Design Planning Management Build In conclusion to this assessment, vehicle use and access can be improved by the replacement of the existing traffic mirror with a larger traffic mirror to the entrance of the Proposal Site to give greater visibility along Alexandra Road. For pedestrians, a dropped kerb will allow all residents of the proposal to access Bridge Street via the roundabout in the most convenient location to Castletown with further access to Victoria Road to match the level access to Alexandra Road from the Proposal Site.

I trust that the above and enclosed are satisfactory however should you require any further information then please do not hesitate to contact me.

John McCarrick RIBA Chartered Architect cc. M.O.P. Holdings Ltd cc. Ed Riley