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Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Planning and Building Control Division MEMORANDUM To: Director of Planning/Senior Planning Officer/Head of Development Management From: Miss Sarah Corlett, Senior Planning Officer Date: 2nd July, 2018 Re: PA 14/01099/B - alterations and erection of a two storey roof extension to office building, Exchange House, 54 - 62 Athol Street, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM1 1JD SATISFACTION OF CONDITION Description
1.1 The above application was permitted on appeal on 25th June, 2015 subject to a number of conditions including the following:
Reason: In the interests of highway safety.
Reason: To promote sustainable travel in the interests of reducing pollution and congestion.
Reason: In the interests of the resulting appearance of the enlarged Exchange House.
Reason: To promote sustainable travel in the interests of reducing pollution and congestion.
2.1 The applicant has submitted a Travel Plan, prepared by i-Transport LLP. They acknowledge that the end user of the extended building is not yet known but that the provisions of the Plan will be applicable to any future user. The Plan sets out to encourage the users of the building to use sustainable transport methods – walking, cycling and public transport and includes specific targets, measures and objectives and detail about the existing transport infrastructure.
2.2 The Plan describes the 23 spaces that are available in the site basement car park and a further 22 spaces are tenanted to the applicant at Banks Circus.
2.3 Pedestrian access is facilitated by a wide pedestrian footway on Athol Street, good quality footways and street lighting in general to and from convenient bus stops and local amenities that may be used by staff. Due to the position in proximity of Douglas residential areas, many people are within convenient walking distance from home of the site. Similar conditions are applicable for cycling to and from work.
2.4 A local bus timetable is provided indicating regular and accessible bus services to most parts of the Island. The steam and electric railway services are available, the steam railway station being close to the site.
2.5 The report states that there are parking restrictions in the form of double yellow lines along most of Athol Street, which is not correct as there is significant parking opportunities for disc parking on the opposite side of Athol Street, and reference is made to public car parks – Shaw's Brow, Bottleneck, Lord Street and Chester Street.
2.6 The current 110 staff at the site were interviewed, 28 responding which provides a very limited indication of travel habits in this particular case. That indicated that the vast majority (65%) travelled by car and 18% using public transport with 3.6% walking and no-one cycling to work. Staff were in equal numbers living 2-3km, 3-5km, 5-10km and over 10km from the site. Reasons for driving to work were given mostly as convenience (46%), and also it being the quickest means of getting to work (25%).
2.7 36% of people who drive to work at this site park in leased car parking spaces 28% in public car parks and 11% in the on-site car park. For some reason 21% of the parking areas were given as "not applicable".
2.8 The survey indicated that if there were a company car sharing scheme, 25% of the respondents indicated that they would be interested. 21% indicated that discounted public transport would encourage them to take that form of transport and 14% indicated that if there were access to a company vehicle for business travel, this would encourage them not to bring their own vehicle. 85% of respondents each indicated that improved bicycle parking and a bike purchase discounts scheme would encourage them to cycle to work. Overall, 14% of employees indicated that a cycle to work scheme would encourage them to cycle to work. 39% of employees indicated that they would be interested in a car share scheme.
2.9 The measureable objectives of the Plan include reducing the numbers of staff travelling to and from work in a single occupancy car from 65% to 58% and a current member of the landlord staff will assume the role of Travel Plan Coordinator as part of their duties and the name of that person will be provided to the Department prior to the occupation of the extension. This person will take responsibility for the delivery of the plan, give a human face to the Plan, ensuring that all occupiers receive the travel plan information leaflets, oversee the implementation of the soft measures outlined later, raise awareness of the travel plan amongst staff in line with a marketing strategy, set up a steering group which includes representatives from across the business to ensure that the plan meets the requirements of the different parts of the organisation and undertaken staff travel surveys and monitor the progress of the plan against targets within the monitoring strategy in the plan.
2.10 The plan recommends the introduction of between 20 and 30 covered and secure bicycle spaces within the basement car park area and the provision of showers and lockers. The existing 23 spaces on site and the 22 leased spaces will continue to be available to people working at the building, apportioned equally dependent upon the amount of floor area leased. The plan has been updated to include details of the provision of the showers and bike storage through the conversion of the boiler room and that this can be accessed from the staircase at the front entrance lobby, from the car lift and from the second staircase to the basement.
2.11 Staff will be provided with information on public transport services, walking events and will be encouraged to take up the Government Cycle to Work Scheme which provides tax free bikes and cycle equipment for employees through their employer. Employers will be encouraged to offer their staff free season ticket loans for local bus services and a Bicycle User Group will be set up to encourage cycling, particularly amongst those who have not cycled for some time.
2.12 Car sharing will be encouraged through encouragement to join the Isle of Man Lift Share Scheme which will be promoted on office information boards and managers will be encouraged to accommodate working hours to facilitate this.
2.13 The Travel Plan will be included in information for potential employees.
2.14 An action plan has been included which identifies actions to be taken, by whom and by when (Section 9).
2.15 Monitoring will be undertaken after 6 months after the occupation of at least 50% of the new extension. Thereafter, surveys will be undertaken after 3 and 5 years including TRICS Sam surveys, the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 coordinating monitoring of progress against the targets. Should the Plan not have achieved its identified targets, the freehold owner will work with Government to identify ways in which the plan can be effective, possibly introducing an incentive payment for staff not to drive to work and a review of opportunities and funding to provide more infrastructure.
3.1 The travel plan includes a number of operational proposals to reduce the reliance on the individual motor car and physical changes to the internal layout to provide a shower, bike racks and storage. These are limited in area but this element is constrained by the physical existence of the building. It is relevant that the travel plan relates to the whole building whereas the application is only for an extension, so in this respect, what is proposed is considered a reasonable response to the condition.
3.3 It is considered that the Travel Plan prepared by I-Transport LLP dated 14th May, 2018, satisfies condition 5 subject to the provision of the bicycle racks, shower and storage shown in drawing JTM038-P-10-13 is provided and available for use prior to the use or occupation of the extension approved in the application.
Miss Sarah Corlett Director of Planning Senior Planning Officer Head of Development Management
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