DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00141/B Applicant: Ashwolfe Ltd Proposal: Conversion and erection of extension of existing buildings to form cafe (Class 3) with associated office and retail (Class 1) Site Address: Workshop Orchard Street Port Erin Isle Of Man IM9 6AJ Senior Planning Officer: Mr Thomas O'Connor Photo Taken: 03.04.2014 Site Visit: 03.04.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 29.04.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

• C 2. All external alterations and finishes to the building shall be in accordance with those indicated in the approved drawing Proposed Plans and Elevations (Sheet 2).

Reason: In the interests of maintaining and enhancing the character and appearance of the site.

• C 3. Details of balustrade construction and its external finishes to be located on the first floor of the rear and side elevation of the building shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. The balustrade shall be constructed in accordance with the approved details

Reason: In the interests of maintaining and enhancing the character and appearance of the site.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to Site Location Plan Scale 1: 1250; Site Plan Scale 1:500; Drawing Sheet 1 Existing Plans and Elevations and ; Sheet 2 Proposed Plans and elevations submitted in support of the application dated stamped and received on 13th February 2019.

_______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

It is recommended that the owners/occupiers of the following properties at:

• o Crofton House, Bradda Road, Ballafesson, Port Erin;
• o Silverburn Bridson Street, Port Erin;
• o 9 Lhag Beg Port Erin

Should not be given Interested Person Status as these addresses are not within 20m of the application site and the development is not automatically required to be the subject of an EIA by Appendix 5 of the Strategic Plan, in accordance with paragraph 2B of the Policy. These addresses are remote from and do not adjoin the application site and the occupants/owners have not explained how the development would impact the lawful use of land owned or

• occupied by them and in relation to the relevant issues identified in paragraph 2C of the Policy, as required by paragraph 2D of the Policy.
• o Isle of Man Enterprises, Centre House, Little Switzerland, Douglas

As they do not refer to the relevant issues in accordance with paragraph 2C of the Policy and as they have not explained how the development would impact the lawful use of land owned or

• occupied by them and in relation to the relevant issues identified in paragraph 2C of the Policy, as is required by paragraph 2D of the Policy. _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The site consists of a detached two storey commercial building with an associated separate detached single storey outbuilding separated from the main building by a through driveway within a commercial area of shops and offices close to the centre of Port Erin.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks to undertake a conversion and extension to the existing buildings to form a café (Class 3) with associated office on the upper floor with a retail outlet on the ground floor. In order to achieve this, it is proposed to extend the main building in the form of a two storey addition to incorporate the side outbuilding into a single structure and extend from this out to the rear. The resulting structure would consist of: the following structural changes to the building.

• o A two storey extension over the central access way and outbuilding and to the rear to create an upper floor balcony to the rear;
• o Formation of a hipped roof in a natural slate, centrally positioned shutter entrance and three large windows on the front elevation,
• o Creation of a front gable with triple bay glazed grey aluminium gable window and triple bay window on the ground floor of the front elevation;
• o Extending the double pitch gable roof to the rear

• o Replacement of and alteration in size of existing side elevation window openings and replacement with new warehouse style windows on the inner side elevation.
• o New timbers frame extension to the rear, 2.2m deep, matching the building and gable roof line of the extended main building.
• o External finishes would consist of smooth render walls and a natural slate roof to side and rear and use of a natural slate cladding on the front elevation gable.

2.2 As indicated above, the internal alterations would consist of:

• o Ground floor A retail area with counter, toilet facilities and storage room accessed from Orchard Street and;
• o Upper floor: A café area of 30 covers with kitchen area and office area accessed by both stairs and lift from the ground floor.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 None recorded for this site

- 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 In terms of land use designation the application site is located within a wider area of land that is designated as predominantly commercial and retail under the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Provisional Order 1982. - 4.2 General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 is more specific in land use zoning and 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:

• (a) is in accordance with the design brief in the Area Plan where there is such a brief;
• (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;
• (h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;
• (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways;
• (j) can be provided with all necessary services;
• (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan;

• (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings

and the spaces around them; and

• (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."

4.3 Spatial Policy 2: Outside Douglas development will be concentrated on the following Service Centres to provide regeneration and choice of location for housing, employment and services

• o Ramsey

• o Peel
• o Port Erin
• o Castletown
• o Onchan

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Port Erin Commissioners in their letter of 12th March 2019 have resolved to support the application. - 5.2 Highway Services: There is an existing vehicular access to the site between the 2 existing buildings which is served by dropped kerbs. The proposed extension would remove this vehicular access by extending and joining the 2 buildings. There is no room for parking on the site frontage as any parked cars would overhang and illegally obstruct the adjacent public footway. A S109A Highway Agreement would therefore not be granted to legally extend the dropped kerbs across the full site frontage to facilitate vehicular access/parking. The front boundary wall could therefore be retained if preferred, and should it be removed it must not damage the adjacent highway signage. There is no parking standard for the existing workshop use. The proposal would increase the site parking demand but as it is located in the town centre where public car parking is available this is deemed acceptable. Highway Services does not oppose the application. - 5.3 Neighbours: Overall, four (4) letters have been received from local residents and interested parties objecting to the proposal. These objections can be summarised as follows:

• o No dedicated vehicular parking allocated to this site;
• o Potential for spread of on-street parking congestion on a one-way street;
• o Lack of alternative off street parking available locally;
• o Potential for the encroachment of private parking allocation within the locality.
• o Should planning permission be approved, it is requested that a planning condition be applied in respect of the control of noise from ventilation systems.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The proposal would result a change in the use of the premises from a commercial workshop to retail and café use (Class 3) orientated to service the visitor economy of the town. In this respect, the site occupies a central location close to main bus stops in Bridson Street and the steam railway station. Shops, the promenade and beach are all within walking distance of the site with the museum located across the street within what is a central location within the tourist footfall area. Spatial Policy 2 identifies service centres areas outside Douglas, such as Port Erin where development will be concentrated to provide regeneration and choice of location for housing, employment and services. - 6.2 The proposal would seek to re-use a redundant building to a function that is relevant to the current visitor, shopping and tourist use within the locality serving both the visitor economy and providing the potential for the employment of local [people in the area. In these respects, the proposal would comply with the requirements of Spatial Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016. - 6.3 Though the site does not provide for dedicated parking spaces within the site, its customer base is likely to be more pedestrian based with the footfall generated in part by visitor numbers that arrive by public transport such as bus and rail and who would be in Port Erin as a tourist destination and visiting a range of shops and cafes within the town centre. There is disk controlled on-street parking available nearby on Main Road and Church Road available for all visitors to the town as well as off street parking also available in Orchard Road. Given the context of the use of these premises as a visitor attraction within a busy town centre of similar attractions, the proposal is unlikely to generate sufficient additional vehicular parking on its own, that would materially increase parking congestion on the street or, indeed, encroach upon the private parking areas used by local businesses or residents. As such, the proposal would comply the requirements of General Policy 2 (g) in not adversely the amenity of

• local residents or the character of the locality. Highway Services have not raised an objection to this proposal.
• 6.4 External alterations to the building resulting in the creation of a second floor would integrate the single storey outbuilding with the main building to create a single structure introducing double pitched roof throughout incorporating a two storey gabled frontage; and hipped/gabled roof to the front . Alterations to the rear would result in a first floor balcony extension to the café and a short 2.2m deep full 2 storey addition to the main building. An enclosed centrally positioned arched access from the street into the building would be created from the street.
• 6.5 In terms of design and visual presentation, the proposed alterations would result in a significant improvement within the local street scene to the existing utilitarian flat roof structure that would both reflect and compliment the gabled architecture of the adjacent office building and, in itself, result in a significant visual improvement in compliance with General Policy 2(b & c), in in terms of the presence of the building within the street scen, respecting the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them and maintaining and improving the character of the townscape;
• 6.6 The proposal would result in the reuse of an existing building redesigned externally to present an external appearance that would improve its presence within the local townscape. Use of the building would change to reflect and meet the tourism and visitor function of the town centre On balance, the proposal would comply with the requirements of General Policy of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 in improving business facilities located within Port Erin, meeting local employment needs and improving the existing settlement character;

7.0 RECOMMENDATION 7.1 It is recommended that the planning application be approved 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• o The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any
• other person in whose interest the land become vested;
• o Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material, in this case Department of Infrastructure Highway Services and
• o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

With effect from 1 June 2015, the Transfer of Planning & Building Control Functions Order 2015 amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 to give effect to the meaning of the word 'Department' to be the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture unless

• otherwise directed by that Order. _____________________________________________________________________

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: 01.05.2019

Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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