DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/01550/CON Applicant: Northville Estates Limited Proposal: Registered Building consent for the demolition elements relating the application 20/01549/B Site Address: Bakers Cottage Rear Of 31 Parliament Street Ramsey Isle Of Man IM8 1AT Planning Officer: Mrs Vanessa Porter Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 17.03.2021 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.

Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.

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

This application is considered to comply with the General Policy 2, Environment Policy 35 of the Strategic Plan and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Guide to the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 23rd December 2020:

• o Drawing No. 225/001
• o Drawing No. 225/010
• o Drawing No. 225/021 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

It is recommended that the following Government Departments should not be given Interested Person Status on the basis that although they have made written submissions these do not relate to planning considerations:

DOI Flood Risk Management Division _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE APPLICATION SITE

1.1 The application site is a small warehouse/store which is situated to the rear of 31 Parliament Street and is accessed through the car park in association with 29 Parliament Street. - 1.2 The building is a traditionally constructed in Manx Stone with traditional vernacular and window proportions. The building features a lean-to roof and is attached to the boundary wall at the rear of No.37 Parliament St, 'Ramsey Warehouse.' THE PROPOSAL

2.1 This application runs contemporaneous to PA20/01549/B for the full works comprising of the elements below.

• 2.1.1 To the ground floor the proposal will create two bedrooms, bathroom and storage to the ground floor level with the addition of a front door to the northern elevation with the removal of the existing door and installation of new window.
• 2.1.2 To the first floor level there is a modern extension proposed which will increase the overall height of the building by 0.7m (existing 5.3m, proposed 6.0m), which will provide an open plan kitchen, dining and living room. Also proposed is the installation of a wooden roof terrace which will provide an outside area for the occupants.
• 2.1.3 The proposed new first floor level will be mainly glass to the east and north elevations which will have anthracite grey frames. The proposed deck will be 150mm wide dark grey vertical and horizontal timber boards and the proposed roof will be slate to match the existing.

2.2 Registered Building Consent is sought as part of this application for the removal of a part the existing roof. PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 There are two previous applications which are in conjunction with each other 18/00769/B (Alterations, partial demolition of existing store building and installation of double doors (in association with 18/00797/CON)) & 18/00797/CON (Registered Building consent for alterations, partial demolition of existing store building and installation of double doors (in association with 18/00796/B)), both of which were approved. PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as Predominantly Residential on the Douglas Local Plan 1998, Map 2. The property is also within the Selborne Drive Conservation area. Given the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider General Policy 2, Environment Policy 35, Section 7.32 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan and also Policy Statement 1/01, especially RB/6 & CA/6.

4.2 General Policy 2 states: "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."

4.3 Environment Policy 35 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." - 4.4 Within Section 7.32 - Demolition in Conservation Areas of the IOMSP, the following text is all relevant and informs Environment Policy 39 (below): "7.32.1 Under Section 19 of the 1999 Town and Country Planning Act, Conservation Area designation introduces control over the demolition of most buildings within Conservation Areas...

• 7.32.2 The general presumption will be in favour of retaining buildings which make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the Conservation Area. When considering proposals which will result in demolition of a building in a Conservation Area, attention will be paid to the part played in the architectural or historic interest of the area by the relevant building and the wider effects of demolition on the building's surroundings and on the Conservation Area as a whole. In addition, consideration will be given to:

• o the condition of the building;
• o the cost of repairing and maintaining it in relation to its importance and the issue derived from its continued use (based on consistent long-term assumptions);
• o the adequacy of efforts made to retain the building in use;
• o the merits of alternative proposals for the site."

4.5 Environment Policy 39 states: "The general presumption will be in favour of retaining buildings which make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the Conservation Area." - 4.6 Conservation Areas of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man): "POLICY RB/6 DEMOLITION

There will be a general presumption against demolition and consent for the demolition of a registered building should not be expected simply because redevelopment is economically more attractive than repair and re-use of an historic building; or because the building was acquired at a price that reflected the potential for redevelopment, rather than the condition and constraints of the existing historic building. Where proposed works would result in the total or substantial demolition of a registered building, an applicant, in addition to the general criteria set out in RB/3 above, should be able to demonstrate that the following considerations have been addressed:-

• o The condition of the building, the cost of repairing and maintaining it in relation to its importance and to the value derived from its continued use. Any such assessment should be based on consistent and long term assumptions. Less favourable levels of rents and yields cannot automatically be assumed for historic buildings and returns may, in fact, be more favourable given the publicly acknowledged status of the building. Furthermore, historic buildings may offer proven performance, physical attractiveness and functional spaces that in an age of rapid change may outlast the short-lived and inflexible technical specifications that have sometimes shaped new developments. Any assessment should take into account possible tax allowances and exemptions. In rare cases where it is clear that a building has been

• deliberately neglected in the hope of obtaining consent for demolition, less weight should be given to the costs of repair;
• o The adequacy of efforts made to retain the building in use. An applicant must show that real efforts have been made, without success, to continue the present use, or to find new uses for the building. This may include the offer of the unrestricted freehold of the building on the open market at a realistic price reflecting the building's condition.
• o The merits of alternative proposals for the site. Subjective claims for the architectural merits
• of a replacement building should not justify the demolition of a registered building. There may be very exceptional cases where the proposed works would bring substantial benefits for the community; these would have to be weighed against preservation. Even here, it will often be feasible to incorporate registered buildings within new development, and this option should be carefully considered. The challenge presented by retaining registered buildings can be a stimulus to imaginative new designs to accommodate them POLICY CA/6 DEMOLITION

Any building which is located within a conservation area and which is not an exception as provided above, may not be demolished without the consent of the Department. In practice, a planning application for consent to demolish must be lodged with the Department. When considering an application for demolition of a building in a conservation area, the general presumption will be in favour of retaining buildings which make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area. Similar criteria will be applied as those outlined in RB/6 above, when assessing the application to demolish the building, but in less clear cut cases, for example, where a building could be said to detract from the special character of the area, it will be essential for the Department to be able to consider the merits of any proposed new development when determining whether consent should be given for the demolition of an unregistered building in a conservation area. Account will be taken of the part played in the architectural or historic interest of the area by the building for which demolition is proposed, and in particular of the wider effects of demolition on the building's surroundings and on the conservation area as a whole."

REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Highway Services have considered the application and do not oppose stating, "Highway Services response made under 20/01549/B (27.01.21).

5.2 Ramsey Commissioners have considered the application and have no objection but wish to add the following comments, "The property is within a flood risk area and this needs to be considered as part of the design process (21.01.21). - 5.3 DOI Flood Risk Management Division have considered the proposal and do not oppose (09.02.21). ASSESSMENT

6.1 The main consideration for this application is whether the demolition of part of the existing roof is acceptable, having regard to the policies referred to in 4.0 of this report which seeks to ultimately preserve or enhance the character of the Conservation Area.

6.2 The removal of the roof is in connection with PA20/01549/B and is required to do the works, with this in mind the property itself is not easily seen from a public vantage point as such the partial removal of the roof would not constitute as harmful to the property or the wider Conservation Area.

• CONCLUSION
• 7.1 This Registered Building consent proposal accords with the Strategic Plan and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Guide to the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man, it is recommended for approval. 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 the Head of Development Management 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 : 23.03.2021 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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.