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An innovative use of a derelict building, taking into account the conservation zone and the needs of the local community.
This is a planning application for full approval for operational development involving building works to Removal House, 39 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man. The proposed development is the partial demolition of the site, which involves the demolition of the steel frame storage area and refurbishment of the existing red brick building occupying the corner of the site and the erection of a new lad steel frame structure to form the main space with new foul and surface water drainage, refuse bin storage, drop-off and pick-up layby and reinstatement of the pavements.
This is an innovative and imaginative use of what is currently a dilapidated site in the heart of Douglas.
Originally built as a warehouse structure, Removal House has had many different fronts over the last 40 years. In recent memory, it has been a music shop; a furniture shop; a lighting shop, and a gym, to name just a few. The site also contains a small two storey office block, currently part-leased and independent to the 'warehouse' component of the site.
Removal House is sited on the edge of the Windsor Road conservation zone at the junctions of Finch Road and Christian Road, and St Barnabas Hill and Finch Road.
Although just inside the boundary of a formally designated Conservation Area, this designation is noted, and the project plans to be sympathetic and enhancing to this area. The site has been caught in a photograph in 1973 available from the iMuseum ${ }^{1}$ prior to the demolition of Edward Lane - {{image:238937}}
Zooming in on this photograph shows the public water fountain which is still present in the wall (although currently damaged and decommissioned) dating from $1856^{2}$.
There are currently four car parking spaces within the curtilage of the site with the existing building access becoming limited if all these spaces are occupied.
[^0] [^0]: ${ }^{1}$ Well Road Hill and surrounding area prior to demolition, Douglas - Photographic Archive - iMuseum ${ }^{2}$ Public Drinking Fountain - Douglas, Isle of Man - Converted Fountains on Waymarking.com
The original warehouse design would have allowed trucks to reverse through the main doors to allow unloading under the cover of the roof line. Large metal sliding doors and components are still visible behind some of the modern construction.
Where the building is not walled by the cliff face, it is of a mixed industrial sheet and red brick construction, with nothing in the way of ornate or period features.
To the rear, is an open space of mixed levels, primarily servicing fire escape lines and access onto St Barnabas Hill.
The warehouse frontage is glazed with aluminium framed double glazing, all of which is deteriorated beyond economical use. The office block component of the site has more modern uPVC double glazing and a number of rooflights to the first floor.
The ground floor of the office block is accessed through a double wooden door at ground level, whereas the first floor is accessed by a matching double door with a number of steps up from the bottom of Christian Road. There is no connection between these floors.
The site has been subject to a number of planning applications through the years; those of which have been completed on have been generally change of use or signage. There have been some approved applications for a complete demolition and rebuild of office blocks, none of which appear to have been pursued by the then owners.
The current site is shown below (August 2023).
| 24/91281/B | 30/12/2024 | Alterations and extensions to roof, installation of cladding panels to the north elevation; rendering to south elevation and new external staircase on the rear elevation; relocation of<br><br> |
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| cycle storage (in association with 24/01285/CON)<br><br> | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24/01285/CON | 30/12/2024 | Registered Building Consent for demolition aspects to PA 24/91281/B<br><br> |
| 24/91222/MCH | 07/11/2024 | Minor Changes to 23/01200/B including changes to the roof and external walls, omission of proposed gate opening through boundary wall onto St Barnabas Hill, and redesign of rear external area.<br><br> |
| 23/01200/B | 09/07/2023 | Conversion of building from retail to a community facility<br><br> |
| 14/00799/B | 08/07/2014 | Demolition of all existing buildings and boundary walls and construction of an office building with basement parking<br><br> |
| 04/01515/C | 19/07/2004 | Change of use of former gym to furniture retail outlet, Removal House<br><br> |
| 03/01473/B | 10/10/2003 | Erection of an office development with parking and associated works to replace existing offices and gym (8/2/10 Duration of consent extended to 29/12/11.)<br><br> |
| 02/00377/B | 20/05/2002 | Erection of office development with parking and associated works to replace existing offices and gym<br><br> |
| 97/00018/B | 03/04/1997 | Conversion of warehouse to Health & Fitness Club, Finch Road, Douglas.<br><br> |
| 92/01489/C | 17/02/1993 | Change of use of storage area into furniture showrooms, Finch Road, Douglas<br><br> |
| 92/00825/B | 14/09/1992 | Demolition of existing & construction of new office block with apartment & parking, site of A.E. Corkill’s, Christian Road/Finch Road, Douglas.<br><br> |
| 88/01208/A | 09/09/1988 | Approval in principle to erection of office block, with owner’s apartment and basement car park, Corkill’s Removal House, Finch Road, Douglas.<br><br> |
This building will be a home for the ‘Douglas AM’ congregation which already meets in the local area and has a congregation of around 250 regular attendees.
Living Hope is a vibrant local Church with a passion for God and a heart for people. With eight congregations spread across the Isle of Man, we come together every Sunday for worship services and community time. Living Hope is a local church with our home on the Isle of Man but we are also connected to many churches across the world through the Four12 partnership of churches. Every year at our Conference at the Villa Marina, we welcome hundreds of visitors who enjoy the island. Living Hope is a registered charity in the Isle of Man (Living Hope Community Church Limited – Charity number 1076).
One of the eight congregations meets in central Douglas and is known as ‘Douglas AM’. Douglas AM has been without a permanent site or home since it was established in 2008. Currently, between the eight congregations, there is only one building owned, and one on long-term lease available to the Church, therefore several more spaces are required across the Island to serve this part of the Island’s community.
Douglas AM has met in various buildings throughout the last 14 years, including schools and hotel conference facilities. It currently meets on a Sunday morning in the Palace Cinema which it hires from 0830 until 1300hrs each week. The average weekly attendance is around 250 individuals, with around 60 of these being children, however, this is growing on a weekly basis.
Every two months, Living Hope has a joint meeting, where all eight congregations join together as one at the Villa Marina. Between 600 and 700 people attend this service which is in the immediate area of Removal House and utilises the surrounding area and Chester Street facilities for car parking. This meeting will continue at the Villa Marina but gives some context as to the parking availability in the area.
This proposal meets many of the Strategic Policies set out in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 20163 (IOMSP)
The purchase and refurbishment of Removal House by Living Hope is optimising the use of previously developed land and mostly redundant buildings. Although one of the office spaces is currently tenanted, a large proportion of the building has been vacant and under-used for many years and from the number of approved planning applications for further development, it is what would appear to be an un-economical site for a full-scale development.
The site is located where it would utilise existing and planned infrastructure, facilities and services considering it is located within close proximity to major infrastructure corridors, parking facilities and other public services along the promenade and Douglas Harbour, Bucks Road and connecting Woodbourne Road and Victoria Roads (Strategic Policy 1c).
Removal House is currently an inefficient, draughty and underutilised building, it could easily be considered to be of a dilapidated state.
3 Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016
The specification for insulating and heating Removal House will be of an extremely high standard, utilising electric heating, retro-fitted insulation and smart technology. There is no desire to directly utilise fossil fuels. Windows being replaced with modern specification and the existing office space having larger windows will improve the radiant heating from the sun.
During the build, materials will be sorted for recycling, and stone-work reused where possible for building up the curtilage of the property to the required levels.
When considering the ‘look’ of the area, it is hard to see what look Removal House would need to ‘fit in’. The specification provides for retaining the original stone boundary walls, with the broken render removed and the stone-work sympathetically repointed with lime mortar which will create a duality with the roads either side (Finch Road and Crellin’s Hill). Where required, these walls will be cut into for high specification wood-finish fire doors for the main hall. This will add and enhance the edge of this conservation area within Douglas.
The original water fountain will be retained, and if possible refurbished to again provide a clean, public water fountain for the refilling of water bottles.
The external elevations will have new facades fitted which will greatly improve the visual impact of the building. A mix of coloured render, timber cladding and glass windows will create a sympathetic modern bridge between the two Manx stone boundary walls. This will be lit with high efficiency LED lighting at the front of the building when in use, with only minimal access lighting at the rear and side where strictly necessary for health and safety purposes.
The windows, extended lower down, provide a more traditional vertical proportion for the building, which is in keeping with the Victorian aesthetic of Christian Road. This is complimented by the Victorian style gutter ‘hoppers’ positioned along the front of the building.
The staggered height of the existing building is retained, but cleaned up in the design of Removal House, breaking the line of sight along the front to give the impression of a terrace of properties.
The growth of Living Hope over the last 10 years, particularly in the Douglas Area which has shown plants of new congregations into evening services at St Joseph’s in Willaston and a growing congregation in Laxey, demonstrates that places of worship are needed by the population of the Isle of Man.
Chapter 10 of the IOMSP, states that places of worship are defined as community facilities. These community facilities should be easily accessible to the population. With the space available to Living Hope in other areas of the Island, including Port St Mary and Willaston, strong community bonds and support have been formed providing community meals, Christmas and Easter events, engagement with the Co-Op's Community Fridge initiative, and pastoral support.
The building will offer a completely step-free access to the core worship auditorium making it ‘open to all’.
Not only will the building provide a life-giving worship space to those who choose to worship there, it is not an unrealistic step that post-service, many will choose to visit shops and restaurants in Douglas town centre, improving the footfall for surrounding businesses.
Community Policy 2 of the IOMSP states, “New community facilities should be located to serve the local population and be accessible to non-car users and should, where possible, re-use existing vacant or underused buildings.” Living Hope’s plans for Removal House does exactly this for the local population. Removal House is, and will continue to be in the current economic climate, a vacant and underused building. Living Hope services are open to all, and not limited to the 54.7% of the Island’s population who are Christians4. It will therefore serve the local population in Douglas.
In recent history, this particular area has seen the demolition and conversion of various church buildings which now lie as vacant, unfinished residential developments, or vacant office developments. The number of failed developments on this particular plot would suggest it is not suitable for any other purpose, nor is there an existing business that relies on the provision of such a site.
The design of the refurbishments allows for a number of ‘security by design’ features. There is no doubt that the immediate curtilage may be attractive for some to spend time in, either during lunch breaks or early evening, however, the raised construction of the front space will bring the visibility of this area directly into the view of passing public members and the surrounding properties. One suggested issue for the area is individuals putting themselves in danger by accessing the roof over the wall from the bottom of Christian Road. This wall, once refurbished will be sympathetically fenced to prevent this from occurring and therefore improving safety around the site
Where appropriate under privacy legislation, cameras will be installed for the prevention and detection of crime both at the front and rear of the property.
The refurbishment of a dilapidated property such as Removal House starts to take away from the ‘broken window’ theory5:by improving the area, anti-social and criminal behaviour is reduced.
Removal House is sited in the middle of Central Douglas and is close to public transport corridors, with Prospect Hill being approximately a 230m walk on a relatively flat path and Bucks Road and the Douglas Promenades approximately 200m in opposite directions. There is no space in the development to incorporate parking and the required space for a good quality step-free access to the building coupled with the difficulty of enforcing ‘reverse’ parking and the risks of that occurring between two road junctions means that the development will rely on the ample public parking this area of Douglas provides.
Bicycle storage will be available during opening hours of the building and users will be directed with signage to the rear of the building where a 10-bike rack will be situated. This will be a Sheffield-style rack with the access door dampened to allow ease of access promptly from the pavement. See ‘Echelon™ Cycle Shelter’ document attached as an example of the style of bike rack proposed.
Chester Street Car Park is directly opposite the building with existing clear visibility for those crossing the road. On a Sunday, when the building will be at its busiest, there is also on-road restriction-free parking in disc zones. The capacity of the venue will be no more than 300 seats in the main auditorium, which is likely to attract significantly less than 150 vehicles. Living Hope, regularly uses the Villa Marina throughout the year on several Sundays, so it is well known that this immediate area and Chester
Street can accommodate significantly larger gatherings of people. On the 23rd July 2023, a typical Sunday morning, Chester Street Carpark had an average of 526 spaces available. On two randomly selected days mid-week, a Thursday and a Friday afternoon / evening there was an average of 348 spaces available. This shows, with the proximity to transport routes, and the central location, there is more than adequate parking available to support this development.
In the building’s current form, there is zero accessibility to anyone other than the able-bodied; all ingress points have a number of steps or uneven paving leading to the property.
The design shows that by careful landscaping and providing for ramped access from the front, significant improvements and adaptations can be made. The entire ground floor of the property will be step-free from front to back with an accessible toilet near to the centre of the building.
Rebuilding the adjacent pavement and fitting high quality tactile paving and drop-pavements around the drop-off area is also included. This will create the space for those who are unable to travel from nearby to be safely dropped off whilst their means of transport safely re-joins the carriageway.
Due to the constrictions of the existing building, it is not possible to provide this same access to all the areas, however, there is sufficient space in the accessible multifunction rooms that adaptations can be made during services and meetings should they be required. This is a significant improvement over where the Church is currently meeting which has 30 steps to get to the main worship space from the steeply sloped carpark. Accessible seating will be available, as well as the ability for those in their own chairs or on scooters to remain seated.
An accessible toilet, with discreet integrated shower, will be available as part of the main toilet provision. A parent and baby area is also provided, which gives those who want it, a discreet place to sit with their babies or if necessary, utilise the available changing facilities.
Living Hope, as per most other Christian Churches meets on a Sunday. The congregation that Removal House will be built for is ‘Douglas AM’ which meets between 10am and 1pm nearly every Sunday.
Living Hope has other services around the Island at different times, notably, evening services in St Joseph’s (Willaston), Port St Mary, and Peel. It is highly likely that if the Church continues to grow at its current rate, further services throughout Sunday will be offered to the community.
Leader’s Meetings, Youth Meetings and other events which would utilise this building generally meet after 5pm. There are no full or part-time employees expected to be based out of this building.
Christian Special Events (Christmas Day / Easter) are often held on bank holidays, where parking is even more accessible than other days of the year.
The impact of noise in the local area is expected to be minimal with the rear of the property buried deep into the cliff-face; an insulated roof with no openings, and no opening windows towards the neighbouring properties. The site itself will have excellent natural sound-insulating qualities. Those gathering are likely to leave the external spaces promptly and the noise of cars will be limited due to the use of other car parking provisions.
Services will be conducted with health and safety provisions in relation to noise levels, and adherence to the Noise Act 2006.
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.”
As stated above, the re-instatement of the traditional lime-pointed walls which will link this space back in with the Finch Road stonework, and the sympathetic use of coloured render and timber cladding, will improve this dilapidated building and enhance the appearance of the area. The differing heights of the front of the building provide a tasteful modern mirror of terraced properties. The larger ‘taller’ windows are more in keeping with the Victorian style of terraced houses in the area.
There is one mature sycamore tree towards the rear of the site which is not within the boundary of this property. This will not be impacted by the development as no work is being undertaking near or around it. Other scrub and unwanted foliage will be cleared from the rear of the site and, where possible, planters used at the front of the building to soften the overall look.
The site is not prone to flood risks as it is outside the areas considered to be prone to flood risks as indicated in the Isle of Man Indicative Flood Risk Maps. Therefore, flooding is not considered to be an issue.
The Area Planfor theEast correctly specifies community facilities as integral to serving the needs of the Island’s population, emphasizing the necessity for them to be appropriately situated to ensure accessibility.
The ‘Douglas AM’ congregation already meets in Douglas, at a rented premises on the promenade. As this congregation has grown and been established for over 10 years, there is already a demonstrated need. This is essentially not a new Place of Worship, but a permanent residence for an existing congregation that meets in the centre of Douglas.
Although the property does not meet the definition of “offices, financial and professional services, food and drink and some residential uses”. The Area Plan does not say other uses will not be supported. A Place of Worship supports the other areas of the community, including the existing residents and business owners in Douglas who choose to attend the services.
The provision of community uses in central locations, accessible by a range of transport options and within existing / vacant buildings, is supported by the Strategic Policies and Community Policy 2.
The area has seen a decline in usable church buildings in the last 50 years:
Bucks Road Methodist Church was converted in the mid-1990s to office storage use, and in 2016 permission was granted to convert this property to a number of residential apartments. Although some development has taken place on this site, it has been unoccupied /
incomplete since the application was made.
In 1997, Finch Hill United Reform Church was demolished, and Finch Hill House was built. Although it has been occupied for the majority of this time, it is an example of a community facility which has become offices.
In the late ‘80s, St Andrews was demolished and a number of office spaces built in its place. Although originally occupied by a number of companies, it has now been largely unoccupied for the last couple of years.
On the 5th January 2024 there were 93 commercial properties available in Douglas of various types on just one Estate Agent’s website. This, and the fact that Removals House is one such development which appears to be undesirable as an investment opportunity, as a retail outlet or offices, demonstrates that there is unlikely to be any other economic use for the property in the near future.
It is also likely that individuals will choose to remain in Douglas City Centre for more time than the service, invigorating the Douglas trade of nearby shops, cafes and restaurants on a Sunday.
Our parking survey (refer to Appendix 1) highlights there would be 299 empty spaces in Chester Street Carpark. We would like to clarify that the ‘600-700’ people attending joint meetings every two months in our application is a reference to our ‘One’ meeting which are, and will continue to be held at the Villa Marina complex. Our inclusion of these numbers is to demonstrate that the area already supports this level of parking during this time on a Sunday.
Removal House will only ever be able to accommodate a maximum of 300 seated attendees. Even if half of these drove there would be more than adequate parking, especially considering that Chester Street Car Park is not the only available car park.
There are over 20 nationalities of individuals who choose to worship in Living Hope congregations and spaces. The existing Douglas AM congregation has attendees with significant mobility issues, and the Removal House development will enable us to provide a service to these individuals who are currently struggling to access the existing rented building.
The vibrant fabric of the Island’s community is only so vibrant due to the rich mix of materials it is made from, and by assuming that all are cut from the same cloth, that fabric would become dull and unsustainable. Removal House will become part of that fabric, and provide those who choose to, a safe, accessible, maintainable space in which to worship.
Attention is also drawn here to the application 20/01064/GB which was a permitted application made by the Isle of Man Islamic Association for the change of use from offices (class 2.1) to other community facilities (class 4.3). This application is for a property in close proximity and provides a safe space for the Muslim community to worship, a very different part of the Isle of Man’s community to Living Hope, but as much within their right to worship how they choose.
Living Hope has seen growth on the Isle of Man, with the number of congregations growing from 1 to 8 in the last 10 years. Many other independent Churches are also seeing similar growth across the UK despite the stated decline in the census data.
Living Hope also has a younger demographic than other Churches, and there are over 110 Primary School aged children across all the sites who attend on a regular basis with 50 to 60 of those attending Douglas AM. The evening youth (Year 7+) events are also well attended across all the sites and the annual camp on the Island attracts around 100 secondary school aged children.
The existence of the current Douglas AM congregation demonstrates that there is a need for this community facility and that there continues to be a need for the foreseeable future.
We would highlight that the materials stated are for coloured render and wooden cladding which fits in with the surrounding mix of architectural styles.
This project will significantly improve this area of the Island’s only officially recognised city, and to a building which is currently of a dilapidated state. The project is considerate of the surrounding properties; parking is more than adequately catered for by the public car park and well serviced bus routes. The structure of the building, both in its position in the hill side and through modern building materials will reduce noise levels where possible and provide a much-needed resource to this part of the Douglas community.
Chester Street Level Empty Spaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
30/06/2023 16:35 23 41 63 69 55 48 299 20/07/2023 18:40 47 58 78 80 68 66 397
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