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1845.01 APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE FOR A NEIGHBOURHOOD FOOD STORE AT DOUGLAS ROAD, BALLASALLA IOM ENTERPRISES PLC
PLANNING STATEMENT The Applicants, IOM Enterprises Plc seek approval in principle for the creation of a neighbourhood food store by refurbishment and alterations through part-demolition and part-extension of the existing Whitestone car showroom and vehicle garage, Douglas Road, Ballasalla This is an application for Approval in Principle only for siting.
The site was acquired by the group over 50 years ago. Through the years the site has been used for various retail operations including a filling station and more recently the Mercedes Benz of Mann Whitestone showroom and garage, until its recent sale of the Mercedes franchise. IOM Enterprises Plc are a local business, with over 50 years’ experience of serving the Isle of Man community and they feel this is a great opportunity to utilise and enhance a brownfield site for immediate benefit of the local population, and the local economy. This application represents continued investment in the Island from an experienced local operator with a stable financial record.
Shoprite (including Winerite), part of the IOM Enterprises Plc group, are the largest seller of Isle of Man originated products and have supported local food producers for approaching 50 years. IOM Enterprises Plc have been approached informally by a number of residents in the area who have suggested to them that they would welcome another neighbourhood food store, so as not to have to travel outside of their immediate area. This was a factor they felt especially important during lockdown, and general covid restrictions. A neighbourhood ‘Winerite Ballasalla’ allows people the freedom to shop within their community and buy many local products from a locally owned and financially secure operator. The proposed offering will be in line with Winerite’s existing in-store offering. The continued growth of the local population in the Ballasalla village and residential area within the new by-pass, presents an added opportunity for a neighbourhood food store to serve the local population, reducing residents’ travel outside the village, to make food purchases. It is anticipated the store will operate Monday to Saturday: 9am to 9pm and Sunday 9am to 6pm (provisional).
It is proposed to part-demolish and part-extend the existing garage and car showroom, to create the food store. The existing car showroom area would be extended and refurbished to create a retail area (gross area of 460 sq.m), and the existing car servicing and maintenance area would be demolished to make way for a new deliveries unloading apron. The existing stores area would be refurbished to provide a staff area and storage for all incoming goods before transfer to the retail area. The existing office and toilet would be refurbished to provide a Manager’s Office and public accessible toilet. The new building extension and refurbished existing building will be designed to be as energy efficient as is practicable, with solar panels of the roof to provide heating and power for in-store lighting. The proposal would see a modified access onto Douglas Road and the existing tarmacadam parking apron that exists would be improved to provide up to 29 car parking spaces, which is a ratio of 1:15 for the nett internal retail space of 435 sq.m, with two motorcycle spaces and four cycle spaces. Three of the car spaces nearest to the store are planned to have electric charging points. The modified access could provide visibility splays along Douglas Road of 2.4m x 70m. The appearance of the car park will be improved with the setting out of mobile planters with trees and shrubs.
The new store is about fulfilling a requirement to have people shop within the community they live and buying as many Manx products as they can with a local established Manx Business who has owned and operated the site for over 50 years building great community relations and employing local people up until the closure of the Whitestone garage. Shoprite are the largest sellers of IOM Products on the Isle of Man and have supported the local food producers for over 50 years and this will just be a simple extension of their offer into an area that requires further facilities due to a significantly increased residential capacity in Ballasalla, which is set to grow further in the coming years. The new store will create up to 36 new jobs, which will be a mix of fulltime and part-time, and this includes the different shifts to be worked, logistical, operational, and administrative work a new store generates. Therefore, the new store will provide increased employment and increased sales of local Manx products and produce.
This is expected to be a local store and the Applicant is not expecting this to be a destination store; customers are anticipated to be local residents living in the Ballasalla area or people travelling to and from home/work via Douglas Road and dropping in for Neighbourhood Food Store Planning Statement convenience goods. The former car showroom and garage, and filling station when in operation, generated vehicle deliveries for parts and fuel and deliveries of cars for sale. It also generated customers visits for repairs, servicing, fuelling and car sales; customer visits would have peaked when the site operated as a
filling station. It is anticipated with the new store that deliveries would be similar to the former use, but customer visits would be increased from its operation as the showroom and garage but less customer visits than the days when the filling station was in operation. The data for both is shown below.
Former Car Showroom and Garage data:
Opening Hours; Monday to Friday 0730 to 1830, Saturday 0900 to 1600 Staff Employed: up to 20 at peak when there was a filling station Deliveries: for car parts white van daily and fuel 18-ton tanker every three weeks Customers: for the car showroom and garage 50-70 customers per day but for the filling station when in operation it was closer to 500-700 customers per day
New Convenience Food Store data:
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 0900 to 2100 and Sunday 0900 to 1800. Staff Employed: up to 36
Deliveries: daily at 10am and 8pm, by a small rigid lorry with a tail lift, the same vehicle as makes deliveries to other Shoprite stores in Michael Street, Peel and St Paul’s Square, Ramsey
Customers: based on figures from the Winerite Store, Victoria Road, Douglas, the customer figures for this new store are anticipated to be around 380 per day on average.
Parking and Access:
The car park is expected to provide 29 car parking spaces at a ratio of one space per fifteen square metres of nett retail floor space. There are two motorcycle spaces, and four bicycle stands. There is a deliveries apron large enough to accommodate two rigid lorries, with sufficient manoeuvring space within the site to leave the site in a forward gear. The new access junction could be 7.3m wide, with 6m radius kerbs and visibility splays of 2.4m x 70m. There is also potential within the development area for an infrastructure improvement of a new footpath along the roadside of the site frontage.
Waste and Collection:
There is a bin store area provided within the design. However, a convenience store of this size generates very little waste, similar to a domestic user and well within the scope Neighbourhood Food Store Planning Statement of local Commissioners collections. Plastic, paper and cardboard packaging is processed and returned to the Shoprite warehouse for recycling. Food waste is avoided through the Shoprite process of price reductions approaching sell-by dates.
This is an application for Approval in Principle for siting only, but the Applicant believes that sufficient information has been provided to give the Department confidence that upon receipt of the further Reserved matters application, a neighbourhood food store would be an appropriate development for this site and that it can be delivered as shown on this application.
Landscaping/Internal Layout/External Appearance/Design would all be covered on an architects’ drawing at scale, clearly showing the design intention for the development. Drainage is not anticipated to be significantly different to the existing system and it is expected that foul and surface water will discharge into the existing systems on site. The Means of Access has been shown on the site plan, but a further more detailed drawing of geometry set out on a topographical survey would provide more detail, with tracking showing the entry and exit of cars and larger service vehicles.
The Applicants believe this neighbourhood food store would be an appropriate development for the village of Ballsalla. It will provide convenience shopping and employment for local residents. It will also increase opportunities for the sale of locally produced Manx goods. The site can provide safe access into and out of the site and sufficient parking for customers; and also safe access and egress for service vehicles. The Applicants also believe that the application contains sufficient information for the department to have confidence that the site can be successfully deliver this proposed development. Therefore, the Applicants respectfully request that planning approval is granted.
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