SOC Douglas Borough Council Appeal Statement

Mr A Johnstone Planning Appeals Administrator Cabinet Office Government Offices Douglas IM1 3PN 21st February 2024 Dear Mr Johnstone, Ref: PA 23/00616/B - Demolition of the existing former Citadel building and the erection of a 44 bedroom hotel with associated drainage, refuse bin storage and pick up layby and reinstatement of the adjacent pavements at the former Salvation Army Citadel Lord Street Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1LE

Firstly I would like to confirm that Douglas City Council will be attending the appeal hearing to reiterate the Council's support for this proposed development. Unfortunately the Council's Environmental Services Chairman may no longer be able to attend, however in his absence a Council officer will be in attendance to represent the Council.

Planning Application 23/00616/B was given careful consideration by the Council's Environmental Services Committee on two occasions. Firstly the application was considered on the 17th July 2023 and then again on the 16th October 2023 after the Council had been made aware that an appeal had been lodged against the proposed development.

At the meeting of the 17/07/23 the Environmental Services Committee gave careful consideration to the benefits of the proposed development along with any perceived detrimental effects the proposals may have on this part of Douglas.

Several planning policies were considered as part of the Committee's deliberations along with the comments made by those afforded interested party status and the comments made by other statutory consultees. These included but were not limited to the following;

1. Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 General Policy 2: Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:

(a) is in accordance with the design brief in the Area Plan where there is such a brief; (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and spaces around them; (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape;

(g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality

(h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;

(i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways;

The Committee also gave consideration to the following Transport Policies:

1. Transport Policy 1: New development should, where possible, be located close to existing public transport facilities and routes, including pedestrian, cycle and rail routes.

1. Transport Policy 8: The Department will require all applications for major development to be accompanied by a Transport Assessment.

The comments from other statutory consultees were also considered prior to any decisions being made by the Committee. It was noted that the Highways Services Division had not objected to the proposals and that both the Visit Isle of Man Agency and the Department for Enterprise were both supportive of the proposed development recognising the need for high quality tourist accommodation and increased employment opportunities within the hospitality sector.

The Environmental Services Committee also gave careful consideration to the negative comments that had been made about the proposed development.

The Committee accepted that there would be an amount of disruption to some of the existing businesses in the area and possibly some disruption and possible disturbance for those working within City Hall, however after giving careful consideration to these matters the Committee believed that any inconvenience could be managed appropriately during the construction process.

The comments made regarding the retention of the building were also given careful consideration however the Committee was of the opinion that that the property in its current condition does not contribute to the amenity of the Conservation Area neither was the building on the Government's list of protected buildings.

The Environmental Services Committee met again on the 16th October 2023 to consider the appeal that had been lodged. The Committee gave careful consideration to the grounds for appeal which were not believed to be of sufficient weight for the Committee to withdraw its support for the proposed development. Many of the comments made within the appeal had also been given careful consideration previously when the Committee first considered the application.

In conclusion the Council fully supports the proposed development as it is believed the application complies with the various planning policies considered and that the transformational benefits to this part of Douglas, the economic benefits through the creation of hospitality employment opportunities and continued support for the construction industry.

along with the need for high quality tourist accommodation far outweighed any perceived negative effects the development would have during its construction.

We would kindly ask that the content of this letter be taken into consideration by the inspector and we would kindly ask that the inspector dismisses the appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Mr S Salter Dilapidations Enforcement Officer