Senior Planning Officer Report

05/00508/B - Demolition of defective west and south annexes and remedial works, Marine Biological Station, Breakwater Road, Port Erin ### Planning Report #### Introduction 1. This report sets out the facts relating to the current application, and makes a recommendation for consideration by the person appointed to report to The Council of Ministers under article 10(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005. #### The Site 2. The site is defined as the curtilage of the Marine Biological Station, which is situated on the Breakwater Road below the cliffs on the southern side of Port Erin Bay. 3. On the Port Erin Local Plan, the land is zoned for its established purpose as a Marine Biological Station. The land around the site is zoned as Open Space, and is also annotated Nature Conservation Zone. The Coastal Footpath runs along the eastern and southern boundaries of the site. 4. Policy 13.5 of the Local Plan states "Access to open space and to the coastal footpath is poorly indicated at present and should be subject to a coordinated plan of action in order to highlight these assets. Access points allied to the existence of open space and footpaths should be indicated both by signs and in plan form, and the relevant information made available in any information centre within Port Erin." #### The Development 5. The works proposed include a) demolition of the West Wing, the South Wing, water tanks and sheds, the lecture room, and the pump kiosk; b) filling in two ponds; and c) making good the remaining buildings where there are interfaces with those being demolished. 6. Demolition constitutes development as follows - a) the demolition of a building which is attached to another buildings, where the other building is not also demolished; and b) the demolition of part of a building, where the rest of the building is not also demolished. #### Written Representations 7. The only written representation on the Departments copy of the file is a recommendation for approval by the Port Erin Commissioners. #### Conclusions 8. The buildings and structures which would be demolished are not Registered or within a Conservation Area, and are not otherwise of any particular architectural or historic interest. 9. The clearance and treatment of the spaces on which these buildings and structures stand would not be visually detrimental and would not prejudice the future use of development of the site. 10. The activity of demolition may affect the wildlife interest of the cliffs at the rear or the use of the coastal footpath. The application indicates that demolition would be undertaken at a time determined in consultation with the Wildlife Officer at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, such as not to affect the nesting season for birds. ### Recommendation 11. It is recommended that the application should be approved subject to the following conditions:- (1) The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice. (2) Prior to the commencement of any works, there must be submitted to and approved by the Planning Committee a method statement addressing the impact on the wildlife interest of the cliffs at the rear of the site and the use of the coastal footpath adjoining the site; this statement must be prepared in consultation with the Wildlife Conservation Office of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Highways Division of the Department of Transport, and must include details of the timing of the works; the works must be undertaken in accordance with the approved statement. Mr Brian Sinden Senior Planning Officer