Planning Statement Support

Heritage Homes Ltd.

RECEIVED ON 20 MAY 2014 DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Redevelopment of Former Manx Petroleums Depot with 53 no. Residential Apartments, 1 no. Commercial Unit and Basement Car Parking, and Creation of Garden Area on Adjoining Unused Scrubland, Land Between South Quay and Head Road, Douglas

Planning Statement in Support of the Application

Heritage Homes Ltd. Dandara Group Head Office Isle of Man Business Park Braddan Isle of Man IM2 2SA

Heritage Homes Ltd

Redevelopment of Former Manx Petroleums Depot with 53 no. Residential Apartments, 1 no. Commercial Unit and Basement Car Parking, and Creation of Garden Area on Adjoining Unused Scrubland, Land Between South Quay and Head Road, Douglas

Supporting Information

1. Heritage Homes Ltd are seeking detailed planning approval for the residential redevelopment of a former oil distribution depot on South Quay. A previous proposal for such was refused in April 2007 following an appeal (PA 06/00505), and the new scheme seeks to address the issues which led to that refusal. This statement of supporting information sets out the planning context of the application, explains the proposed development and considers the principal planning issues. Included as appendices are an energy impact statement and a demolition/construction method statement, and provided as separate documents are a design statement and a Transport Assessment.

The Site

1. The site is comprised of a former oil distribution depot on South Quay and the adjoining unused scrubland which rises up towards Head Road. The depot contains a yard and a number of low-grade industrial buildings and is currently accessed from South Quay. The southern side of the depot is defined by a steep terraced bank which rises up to an unused area containing scrub vegetation and occasional trees (predominantly Hawthorn). This area slopes upwards to meet Head Road, although at the southern site boundary it still remains well below the level of the highway. The site is overlooked from housing on both sides of Head Road.

1. The depot part of the site is flanked by buildings on either side, with the former swing bridge tower immediately to the east and the Clover Asphalte building to the west. The former is a Registered Building (no. 115) with lower "wing" sections either side of a central tower and is not in regular use, whilst the latter is a low industrial building of little or no architectural merit. A garden and vacant plot adjoin the western side of the scrubland area whilst a set of public steps run just outside the eastern boundary.

Planning Policy

1. The site is within an area which is designated for Predominantly Residential use by the Douglas Local Plan. Amongst the housing policies and supporting text of the Plan it is stated that residential development will be restricted to those areas defined in the Local Plan and that in order to avoid "peripheral growth of housing on Greenfield sites" the use of residential areas designated for development in conjunction with "clearance areas for redevelopment" will be encouraged. The Industry chapter of the Plan states that industrial activities on South Quay (other than those which are harbour or water related) should be encouraged to relocate.

1. Chapter 14 of the Local Plan suggests areas that will be the subject of development briefs, presumably to be prepared by the Department. In relation to development opportunities for South Quay it is simply stated "Not yet identified but must acknowledge material habitats which exist, especially with regard to the quarry faces".

1. The Local Plan suggests that for 2 and 3 bedroom apartments in the town centre a car parking standard of 1 space per unit may be appropriate. The Isle of Man Strategic Plan states that the typical standard for apartments should be 1 space per bedroom, whilst also recognising that in the case of town centre and brownfield sites the Department will consider reducing the parking requirement having regard to certain criteria, including the location of the housing relative to public transport, employment, and public amenities.

1. The Isle of Man Strategic Plan contains polices which seek to direct development to existing settlements and to where possible re-use previously developed sites in an efficient manner. The Plan also states that development which is in accordance with the appropriate land use zoning will normally be permitted provided that it satisfies the standards set down by General Policy 2. The policy requires, amongst other things, that development respects the site and its surroundings, that the amenity of neighbours is not adversely and unreasonably affected, and that the development in itself provides satisfactory amenity standards for new residents. Housing Policy 5 indicates that for any

residential development of 8 units or more the Department will normally require that 25% of provision should be made up of affordable housing.

1. Prior to PA 06/00505 the most recent planning application for the site proposed the erection of a vehicle maintenance shed and was approved over twenty years ago (PA 85/00946).

The Proposal

1. The application seeks detailed planning approval for the redevelopment of the depot site with a building containing 53 apartments, a ground floor commercial unit and associated car parking. As stated above the proposed scheme seeks to address the issues which led to the refusal of the previous application, and it has been re-designed “from scratch” in order to achieve this aim. A design statement is included with the new application, and an energy impact statement/assessment and a method statement for demolition/construction are attached to this statement as Appendices 1 & 2.

1. The Inspector for PA 06/00505 indicated that the main issues to be considered at appeal were the principle of development for residential use, the height and mass of the proposal in its setting, the visual appearance of the design in its setting, and the effect on the living conditions of future occupiers and nearby residents.

1. The principle of residential development; in respect of the first matter he concluded that the redevelopment of the site for residential purposes conforms with the provisions of the Douglas Local Plan and thus he raised no objection to the principle of such a use. The development will meet the 25% affordable housing requirement of the IOMSP, either on site or by way of commuted sum should the Department consider it to be appropriate.

1. Height and massing; the Inspector found the height and massing of the previous proposal to be “too great and inappropriate for this prominent site beside the harbour”, with particular reference made to the relationship with the buildings on either side, the stepped roof line and “tower-like central section”, and the masking/use of the green area adjacent to Head Road. The new scheme is lower than the previous proposal, with a comparison shown

on the submitted application drawings. At its highest the new building has 4 floors of residential accommodation over a ground floor car park and is therefore 5 storeys in total. Although it has lower sections at either end in order to avoid stepping too abruptly towards the hydraulic tower and the Clover building it is of a more uniform height than the previous scheme, thus removing the high central tower and stepped roof line arrangement that was found to be inappropriate.

1. The area of scrubland between the depot and Head Road is to be used as a private garden for residents, and its appearance will be improved by the "tidying up" that this will entail. By lowering the building, removing the previously proposed car park and leaving sight lines through the site the new scheme will allow the garden area to remain visible from around the quayside.

1. Visual appearance; in order to achieve the integrity referred to by the Inspector the design of the building has been re-considered and a different approach has been taken, employing a less obvious mix of architectural concepts and rationalising the use of features and materials, whilst still ensuring that the massing and form of the scheme is sufficiently broken. The scheme is essentially divided into two residential blocks, with a set-back glazed link between the two and pedestrian links providing space at either side. The blocks are further broken visually by the use of gabled vertical elements which reflect traditional building form, and variation in finishes on these gables will help to give an appearance of smaller groups of similar buildings.

1. The ground floor as it fronts onto South Quay has been designed as a strong visual base for the residential accommodation above, and will have a traditional harbour or dockside wall appearance. The space behind the wall will be occupied largely by car parking and as such will not require a great number of openings, but it will include the main vehicular access to the site and the front of the commercial unit, thus providing some vitality at street level. The Inspector also commented upon the extensive use of glazing in relation to the safety zone around the harbourside gas installations, and notwithstanding the fact that the site is outside the safety zone the proposal no longer includes expansive areas of glazing.

1. Residential amenity; the Inspector's concerns in respect of residential amenity centred upon privacy and outlook for new residents and the impact upon existing neighbours of increased parking demand. The new scheme includes apartments which have their principal windows facing south towards Head Road, and outlook and privacy for those units will be significantly improved by the relocation of the car park and the re-grading and landscaping of the bank at the rear of the depot. There will still be windows in the proposed building which face towards those of existing properties on Head Road, but in our view this is not an uncommon or unexpected situation within urban areas and the distances involved are greater than often found in such cases. It should be noted that the Inspector concluded that there would not be overlooking "by residents of the proposed development to existing dwellings and their residents as the view generally would be upwards".

1. When considering the issue of parking provision the Inspector clearly took account of current on-street parking provision on Head Road, the fact that it is "heavily parked at night and controlled during the day", and in particular the number of on-street spaces being lost. The new proposal takes access solely from South Quay, thus removing the need for additional traffic to use Head Road and allowing the retention of the existing on-street spaces adjacent to the site. A number of other town centre apartment schemes have been approved with a one space per unit parking standard¹, including a development of 73 units on the harbourside at Bridge Road. The 6 tandem spaces within the basement can be used in conjunction with the 3-bed apartment and the commercial unit (which will have a nett floorspace of approximately 200 sq.m). The site is in a highly sustainable location in terms of its proximity to public transport, employment and public amenities and as such the level of provision is in accordance with the policies and objectives of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan.

1. Access to the site has been the subject of extensive consultation with the Department of Transport Highways Division, which has resulted in the creation of a right-turning lane for vehicles waiting to enter the site so as to prevent disruption to traffic flow on South Quay. A pull-in area for service vehicles is also to be provided at the roadside. A Transport Assessment for

¹ For 1 and 2 bed apartments, 3 bed and above to have 2 spaces

the proposal has been undertaken by Bryan G Hall Consulting Civil & Transportation Planning Engineers and their report accompanies the application.

Summary

1. The site is within an area which is designated for Predominantly Residential use by the Douglas Local Plan. Redevelopment with residential apartments will represent an efficient use of a previously developed town centre site which is sustainable in terms of its proximity to employment and retail uses and public transport links. The Inspector for PA 06/00505 raised no objection to the principle of residential use.

1. The re-designed scheme seeks to address the issues which led to the refusal of PA 06/00505, resulting in a building of reduced height and massing and a revised visual appearance. The green area adjacent to Head Road will be retained as a garden for residents, and car parking for the scheme will be accessed from South Quay.