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PROJECT: Conversion of Disused Lower Ground Floors into Two Self-contained Apartments SITE: “Astonville” 38 - 40 Castlemona Avenue, Douglas 29 JUN 2006 RECEIVED ON 11 JUL 2006 DEPT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Zenzone Ltd has recently acquired the property known as “Astonville”, 38 – 40 Castlemona Avenue, Douglas. It is the company’s intention to make a significant investment into the premises thereby providing much needed quality housing in the affordable price bracket of the property market.
Whilst this application is seeking permission to convert the disused lower ground floors we feel it is important to bear in mind this development as a ‘whole’ including the extensive refurbishment of the existing apartments that will be carried out.
The most recent application relating to this site was made by the previous owners, Norlands Ltd (planning ref no. 05/01028/B). The proposals submitted under this application are not the preferred scheme of Zenzone Ltd and therefore this new application is being made.
“Astonville” is an imposing and handsome Victorian/ Edwardian building on Castlemona Avenue that is currently in a rather dilapidated and sorry looking state.
The property comprises two adjoining five-storey buildings that were originally constructed circa 1900 as boarding houses. Currently the property is divided into eight self-contained two-bedroomed apartments,. In addition to the eight apartments there are two very dilapidated and disused lower ground floor areas.
The primary entrances to the property are from Castlemona Avenue but a secondary access from the rear is available from the narrow cul-de-sac in Esplanade Lane.
There are no parking facilities on the site.
Although the property has been in occupation until quite recently it is in an extremely poor state of repair, having obviously had its maintenance severely neglected for something in excess of 20 years.
Externally the property requires a new roof, windows, rain goods, wall repairs, and redecoration. Internally they are also sub-standard with no adequate heating system, thermal or sound insulation. With their generally dilapidated state and decrepit feel they could almost be classed ‘slum’ rentals.
The property has two very dilapidated and disused lower ground floors that are in a serious state of disrepair with water ingress, damp and mould growth. They will become increasingly hazardous and are at the stage that the decay is accelerating rapidly and if not addressed in the very near future they could ultimately prejudice the buildings as a whole.
The Castlemona Avenue area of Douglas has until recently been a poor and dilapidated residential area with run down, poor quality, low rental housing stock (hence the current condition of Astonville). However the area is currently undergoing a renaissance with many
current and recently completed refurbishment projects, together with a number of recently commenced new-build schemes in the immediate area. It is Zenzone's intention to continue with the gentrification of the area by making a significant investment into Nos 38-40.
Case No. 90/01319/B Proposal. Conversion of guesthouse to 8 permanent flats. Decision. Application permitted exact date not known. Case No. 05/01028/B. Proposal. Conversion of basement level into two apartments with additional parking for Decisions Refused on review 29th December 2005 Status. Appeal withdrawn by previous property owners
Planning permission is being sought to convert the currently disused and redundant lower ground floors into 2 self-contained two-bedroom apartments as shown on the proposal drawings. The rooms of the lower ground floor are partially below ground level at the front of the site but are at ground level at the rear in Esplanade Lane.
Currently the disused lower ground floors are in a state of disrepair with water ingress, damp and mould growth problems. It is proposed to rectify these and provide two further 2 bedroomed self-contained apartments resulting in a final total of 10 apartments in the whole scheme of 38-40 Castlemona Avenue.
Since these premises were originally boarding houses the use of this area of the property has always been as living accommodation as evidenced by the redundant gas fire and the remains of previous bathrooms. As the proposal drawings show, practical and spacious modern apartments can be achieved with careful space planning.
Due to the current terrible state of the lower ground floor areas it takes great imagination to consider such a use but the proposed layouts and garden improvements will offer the stylish modern lifestyle of urban living that is so popular amongst the prospective young professional purchasers.
As part of the overall development of 38-40 CMA it is proposed that the properties will be completely refurbished to bank mortgage standard and the renovated apartments would be sold individually to private long-leasehold buyers. The proposed refurbishment works will include:
The existing front garden is crudely terraced and overgrown, it is the intention to significantly improve the garden by enlarging and cutting back the terracing to allow the maximum amount of light to reach the lower ground floor bay windows. The proposed section through the front garden shows what improvements the new lower terracing will make. The new terraces will be planted with an attractive planting scheme, which will provide a very pleasant outlook from the new lower ground floor apartments. New paths and bin storage will also be provided at the front of the building.
With regard to potential purchasers it is Zenzone’s intention to market these properties as suitable for first-time buyers and it is hoped that with careful costing and programming they can be offered to the market at attractive and affordable prices.
The whole scheme would be carried out using a good standard of materials and workmanship with the aim to offer quality newly refurbished apartments at an exceptionally fair price to the first time buyer market. This project will offer stylish and more spacious apartments than the equivalent purpose built new property and at a great cost saving over the same. In addition to the cost advantages they will benefit from the in-built character of an older property.
It is anticipated that the selling prices for these apartments will allow them to be purchased on a single persons salary and that they will qualify for DoLGE Grants under the HPAS.
With reference to Planning Application 05/01028/B we tend to agree with the Planning Committee that the proposed car parking spaces would be tight, difficult to use and sometimes inaccessible. We consider car parking on the site to be impractical by virtue of the very confined access to the rear of the buildings and due to the restricted space at the cul-de-sac end of Esplanade Lane, trying to achieve on-site parking would result in friction between the neighbours.
These apartments are very close to all Douglas amenities and public transport, therefore the ownership of a car would not necessarily be essential to prospective purchasers.
As Douglas becomes more and more congested with traffic the most beneficial means of discouraging car ownership in urban situations would be to provide accommodation without parking thereby rewarding non car owners with proportionately lower house prices.
Currently there are no specific bin storage facilities to 38 – 40 CMA and, like most of the street; the bins are located on the pavement. This presents a rather unsightly appearance to the streetscape. Whilst we appreciate that certain properties on CMA have no other option but to locate their wheelie bins on the street it would be our intention to ensure that 38 – 40 do not add to the growing menace of plastic garbage receptacles.
It is our proposal (subject to consultation and agreement with Douglas Corporation) to substitute the existing eight individual wheelie bins with two suitably sized larger items and have them located with the curtilage of the property such that they are conveniently sited for use by the occupiers of the apartments and can be easily manoeuvred and emptied by Douglas Corporation Refuse personnel. We feel this solution is a very considerable improvement on the current situation.
If granted planning permission then the bin storage for the 2 new lower ground floor apartments would be in the open courtyard to the rear with collection being made via Esplanade Lane.
The main access into the proposed new lower ground floor apartments would be via the building’s main entrance on Castlemona Avenue. The apartment entrance door will be off the main lobby and you would then descend the stair into the living areas of the apartment. In addition a rear entrance to the new apartments will be available from Esplanade Lane.
With reference to Planning Application 05/01028/B we do not agree with the comments of the planning committee that any proposed lower ground floor accommodation has a “limited outlook and generally poor environment”. By virtue that the apartments will be partially underground they will be quieter and warmer than the others in the block. The interior environment will be spacious and very pleasant and they will have the additional benefit of an enclosed rear courtyard area.
The main living spaces will be orientated such that they are facing northwest which will allow direct sunlight into the spaces for the majority of the afternoon and evening through the very large bay windows. These windows will face onto a re-planned and landscaped, terraced garden. The outlook will be far better than most of the others in Castlemona Avenue with ample natural lighting and ventilation into the living spaces
Many other locations in Douglas have lower ground floor apartments that are occupied and enjoyed by owners and tenants. 38-40 CMA benefits from a much larger lightwell area than most situations; such as on Bucks Road or many of the other properties at the Broadway end of Castlemona Avenue. Indeed the property adjacent to no 38 has previously had its lower ground floor converted to a self-contained apartment.
The loss of existing storage space is rather a non-issue as even if the space were safe and suitable for storage (it is currently unsuitable and dangerous) none of the tenants would be prepared to pay any increased rentals to utilise the space as the existing apartments are already of adequate size not to require additional storage
For practical purposes it is proposed to carry out the development in two phases, as follows:
The timetable for the phasing anticipates the completion of phase 1 in 11 months and the completion of phase 2 construction works a further 9 months thereafter.
Together with a considerable amount of Zenzone’s own working capital the company are backed by an appropriate lending facility from Lloyds TSB Bank Ltd thus evidencing the bona fide nature of this project with funding being in place.
Research has shown that there is a lack of good quality, spacious, but affordable property in Douglas.
Zenzone recognise the potential of this neglected, but handsome old building and using vision and imagination can reinvigorate the property into modern, stylish and affordable homes without demolishing the character and heritage of Douglas.
It is hoped that by including the proposal of the lower ground floor conversion as part of plan for the full refurbishment of the property, Zenzone is evidencing that the development will see a significant improvement in the appearance and condition of the building as a whole. The present dilapidated condition of the building is probably distracting the planners from any thoughts of permission resulting in any material improvement in the quality of the housing provision in the area.
The lower ground floors are unsuitable for any purpose other than residential and the only viable option is to convert to apartments. This would compliment the other renovated apartments and make a significant improvement to the area housing stock. The conversion will be the most efficient use of the redundant space with two very comfortable and spacious apartments.
Despite the considerable expense that will be incurred the lower ground floor conversion scheme is made economically viable due to economies of scale offered during the construction and refurbishment of the existing apartments.
From the outset this development scheme hopes to be able to supply affordable homes and will be targeting end sales to first time buyers and key workers, as we recognise this is a large pent up market that the current trend of new-build schemes cannot satisfy due to the very high asking prices.
The benefits of this scheme will be to maximise the potential of this brownfield site providing an economic alternative solution to expensive new-build apartments that are generally outside of the maximum purchase price eligible for a DoLGE grant towards House Purchase Assistance.
The proposals represent a wholly viable use of the existing disused space in this property, which requires considerable investment to repair and refurbish a very dilapidated part of the building.
Without the conversion of the LGF into new apartments no other use can be found for this area of the buildings and will jeopardise the attractiveness of the higher-level apartments to prospective purchasers.
We feel that the considerable improvements in terms of streetscape aesthetics and housing stock, to the CMA and Esplanade Lane area far outweigh any small technical difficulties; which can be overcome with dialogue and by careful design and sensible compromise.
Despite its poor recent history, the general continuation of gentrification of CMA means that it will become a desirable residential location being close to work, shopping and all amenities. This large development will continue with the improvements to Esplanade Lane and CMA.
It is hoped that as part of an overall scheme for the full renovation of the buildings that the lower ground floor conversion will be more positively received.
Zenzone feel that not granting permission would be a missed opportunity to provide two extra, much needed, good quality affordable properties in Douglas.
We therefore respectfully request that the Planning Committee view this proposal favourably and approve this application.
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