30 September 2014 · Planning Committee
Coroners Office, 39, Finch Road, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM1 2pw
The proposal involves demolishing poor-quality 1980s/1990s buildings on a prominent corner site in a mixed-use town centre location transitioning from residential to commercial areas, replacing them with a multi-storey office building featuring light painted render, portrait windows, horizontal string courses, and a da…
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The officer assessed the proposal against the site's zoning in the Douglas Central Local Plan as 'Mixed Use, Town Centre', confirming office use is appropriate under Business Policy 7.
Strategic Policy 1
Requires optimising previously developed land and efficient site use. Officer found proposal makes better use of brownfield site through regeneration, replacing poor buildings with high-quality offices utilising infrastructure.
Strategic Policy 4
Protects Conservation Areas and avoids environmental harm. Proposal enhances CA setting without adverse impact on heritage or views.
Spatial Policy 5
Requires positive environmental contribution via design. Building boldly addresses topography, delineates zones with quality finishes drawing on historic context.
Strategic Policy 6 - Major employment-generating development
Locates major employment in zoned centres. Site in Mixed Use Town Centre zoning suits offices.
Strategic Policy 10
Promotes integrated transport minimising car use. Improved accesses off St Barnabas Hill enhance safety/pedestrians, parking relaxed due to public transport proximity.
General Policy 2
Permits zoned development respecting scale/design/amenity/highways. Proposal complies via sensitive siting, landscaping, tree retention, no amenity harm.
Environment Policy 35
Permits only CA-preserving/enhancing development. Design integrates with Victorian terraces, enhances over existing poor buildings.
Environment Policy 42
Design must reflect local character. Proposal echoes render, windows, basing of historic buildings.
Environment Policy 43
Supports urban regeneration. Replaces detracting buildings, improves town vitality.
Business Policy 7
Offices in zoned town centres. Site allocation supports new office floorspace.
Business Policy 8
Offices respect adjoining scale, meet parking standards. Height/mass acceptable referencing Bank of Ireland; parking relaxed per Appendix 7 exceptions for CA benefit.
Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Policy CA/2 (Conservation Areas)
Assesses impact on CA character. Proposal enhances vibrancy, open to sensitive change for regeneration.
Time limit
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.
Parking and turning provision
The development hereby approved shall not be occupied or operated until the parking and turning areas have been provided in accordance with the approved plans. Such areas shall not be used for any purpose other than the parking and turning of vehicles associated with the development and shall remain free of obstruction for such use at all times. Reason: To ensure that sufficient provision is made for off-street parking and turning of vehicles in the interests of highway safety.
Landscaping scheme
All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved drawing 5370-L-101 must be carried out in the first planting and seeding seasons following the completion of the development or the occupation of the office, whichever is the sooner. Any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased must be replaced in the next planting season with others of a similar size and species. Reason: To ensure the provision of an appropriate landscape setting to the development.
no objection to the proposals
Highway Services raised concerns about insufficient car parking and lack of motorcycle parking but noted positive access changes; Manx Utilities requested standard conditions for utilities coordination; Manx National Heritage had no objection but suggested traffic improvements; Douglas Borough Council had no objection.
Key concern: deficit of some 13 car parking spaces
Highway Services
The application fails to provide the number of car parking spaces required by the strategic plan; there is a deficit of some 13 car parking spaces.; There is no justification provided for a reduction in the car parking standard.; The proposed accesses off Harris Terrace will reduce the impact off the proposal on traffic flow on Finch Road, and improve pedestrian provision by providing a contiguous footway and removing the conflict with vehicles crossing the footway.
Manx Utilities
Conditional No ObjectionSee Note 1&2; There are underground cables/overhead lines present in the area indicated in you planning application.; The Authority wish to express their interest in the following planning applications, and request that a condition of planning be that the applicant must contact the Authority.
Conditions requested: a condition of planning be that the applicant must contact the Authority; Contact our Network Operations Department, Manx Utilities (Tel. 687687) to discuss working practices around cables and overhead lines which may be required to be diverted before any work can be carried out on site; Contact the Manx Utilities for Electrical Site Safety 5 documents, (Tel. 687766), before any work is carried out on site. All work to be carried out with reference to Health and Safety Executive Guidance Notes HS(G)47 & GS6; Contact the Manx Utilities, Planning Department (Tel. 687781), to discuss the electricity supply for this application; Manx Utilities requires 24 hours unrestricted access to the cables in the public highway
Manx National Heritage
No ObjectionWhilst not objecting to the principle of the redevelopment of this site, we wish to draw attention to existing high levels of parking and traffic management issues in the vicinity; The replacement of the existing give-way on Christian Road with a stop line would slow traffic from this direction and would improve intermittent egress from St Barnabas Hill.
Douglas Borough Council
No ObjectionDouglas Corporation have no objection to the proposals listed below.
