Loading document...
3 Ballagarey Close, Glen Vine, Isle of Man IM4 4EG
United Kingdom Tel: 441624853120
The Secretary of the Planning Committee, Dep. Of Local Government \& the Environment, Murray House, Mount Havelock, Douglas, IM1 2SF
23 2rd May 2008
Dear Sir, Please find enclosed completed planning application forms and drawings for alterations and extensions to Stroanville House, Laxey. My wife and I have recently purchased this property which has suffered some neglect and is in need of refurbishment; although the general fabric of the house is good the roof has been leaking for some time which has given rise to internal dampness problems. Following a structural survey of the buildings we have also found that the UPVC conservatory to the east and south walls of the house (which was added about 20 years ago) was constructed onto made up ground which has subsequently settled, causing structural movement of the foundations resulting in large movement cracks to the base and causing the conservatory to detach itself from the house. This movement is limited to the conservatory itself but we have been advised that demolition and rebuilding of the conservatory is the most satisfactory remedy to the problem.
The enclosed proposals address the above problems and also add significantly to the usable area of the house, with the addition of a larger kitchen and attached breakfast conservatory, a dining room, family room, large study, games room, home cinema and wine cellar. The total number of bedrooms remains the same at six; however several of the bedrooms are larger and include en-suite facilities and dressing rooms. A new Oak framed conservatory is also proposed which would be on two levels to allow additional access to the proposed lower floor level. The gardens will also be landscaped with the addition of new bushes and trees where appropriate. As the property is in a raised sheltered and private front line location facing the Irish Sea a major factor in the design has been to take maximum advantage of the sea views with a design that is harmonised to the location and forms a unified building of substance that will be a worthy addition to the architecture of the Island.
The proposed building has been designed without compromise and will be constructed to the highest standards using natural materials such as Oak external joinery, granite and marble flooring and Welsh slate roof tiles. It has been designed without regard to cost, we have lived on the Island for the past twelve years and intend to reside at Stroanville House for the foreseeable future; it is certainly not being developed to sell on completion as we would most certainly not recoup the building cost.
The development does not add any extra accommodation, it will remain a six bedroom house, so it does not create any additional traffic on the unadopted access lane or its junction with Old Laxey Road.
We appreciate that any building works on this site will cause some inconvenience to the neighbouring properties, particularly those that share the single track access road; we will do everything possible to keep this disruption to an absolute minimum by scheduling deliveries to be between mid morning and early afternoon, when many residents may be at work, we will try to arrange smaller 4 wheeled lorries to be used for deliveries wherever possible and we will endeavour to keep vehicle movements and construction noise to an absolute minimum. As we intend to live at Stroanville House for the long term it is obviously in our interest to maintain the best possible relations with our neighbours and we would be happy to discuss any concerns with them and welcome any suggestions that would help, we have already informed several of our immediate neighbours of this planning application and they are supportive of it. There may well be some benefit locally from a development of this quality; when complete it should have a positive effect on the desirability of surrounding properties too.
Along with the application I have included photorealistic renderings of the proposal to give a better idea of how the finished house would look, also included is a photo sheet showing the house, grounds and proximity of trees as they are at present. One of the most important features of the location are the surrounding mature trees which provide both shelter and privacy, the extensions to the property have been carefully designed to ensure that buildings do not encroach upon the canopy of any trees so that no felling or pruning of trees is necessary for this development. Also the proposed lower ground floor does not encroach onto the existing lawns, it falls within the footprint of the (rather overgrown) rockery to the front of the house, which it would replace.
I hope that this letter helps you in considering this planning application, however if there is any further information or explanation required then do not hesitate to contact me in writing or by telephone.
Thank you for giving this matter your consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
Allan J Hall
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal
View as Markdown