APL Planning Statement

8 Ravens Wharf South Quay

Douglas Isle of Man

IM1 5BT

Planning and Design Statement V2

Project: Change of Use from Office to Gymnasium and Wellness centre within areas of Victory House, Douglas.

Project no: 2130-LB Date: May 2022

Contents

1.0 Site and Surroundings
1.1 Victory House is an office building in central Douglas built over 7 levels in two phases during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
1.2 The part of Victory House occupied by Lloyds Bank covers the following areas.

• The offices on level 4 are to both sides of the main entrance/service core = 475sqm.
• The banking hall on level 3 to the right of the main entrance = 225sqm
• The offices and safe areas on level 2 below the banking hall = 225sqm.

The staff room and toilets on level 1 below the level 2 offices = 125sqm.

1.3 The current use class of the four areas identified is Class 1.2 Financial and Professional Services.
1.4 Victory House is one of six office buildings in central Douglas owned by Rose Estates. The other five are Hillary House, Gordon House (10 Prospect Hill), Analyst House, Rose House, Peveril Buildings.
1.5 The office space has a bespoke set up for a bank which no longer complies with current banking standards, and as the offices are spread over 4 floors it hasn’t appealed to larger potential tenants as they prefer to be based on a single floor.

1.6 The office space has remained unlet since Lloyds bank relocated to the Villiers building in May 2021.

2.0 Planning History and Policy
2.1 The site is within the area identified as Douglas town centre under the Town and Country Planning (Change of Use) (Development) (No.2) Order 2019, however, the proposed use is not one of the use classes covered by the permitted development order so a planning application is necessary.
2.2 The site is designated as mixed use in the Area Plan for the East.
2.3 The proposed use of the vacant office space is as gymnasium and wellness centre. There are few policies that are directly relevant to this use, however, there are general policies about the best use of existing buildings and town centres.
2.4 Strategic Policy 1 Development should make the best use of resources by: (a) optimising the use of previously developed land, redundant buildings, unused and under-used land and buildings, and reusing scarce indigenous building materials; (c) being located so as to utilise existing and planned infrastructure, facilities and services

2.5 Strategic Policy 10 New development should be located and designed such as to promote a more integrated transport network with the aim to:

3.0 Services and Bin Storage
3.1 The bin storage arrangements will be as per the Lloyds Bank tenancy. Waste is collected from the office by the building’s management to a lower level store prior to collection.
3.2 The proposed use class should not produce any more waste than the previous tenant.

4.0 Parking and Access
4.1 The former Lloyds bank tenancy was allocated 6 parking spaces in the car park to the rear of the property. All other parking was provided privately off site. The 6 spaces will be made available for staff at the gym and consulting rooms.
4.2 The gymnasium offer is primarily aimed at the employees of tenants of Rose Estates, who will already be parked in the town centre for work.

4.3 There is a former store at the lower car park level that is being converted into a bicycle store for workers at the Rose Estates properties in the vicinity. The bicycle store is in accordance with PA 19/00828/C.
4.4 The site is located between two of the principal car parks in Douglas, Shaws Brow and Drumgold Street.
4.5 Victory House is next to a bus stop on the routes from the South, West and North of the island, as well as local bus services in the Douglas area.
4.6 Consultation has taken place with DOI Highways, and no concerns have been raised about the proposal.

5.0 The Proposal
5.1 The client wishes to create a gym and wellness centre within the areas of the building formerly occupied by Lloyds Bank. The proposal would be open to the general public as well as the employees of the tenants of Rose Estates.
5.2 The applicant wishes to change the use of the four areas identified within Victory House from Use Class 1.2 (Financial and Professional Services) to Use Class 4.1 (Clinics or health centres) and Use Class 4.4 (Assembly and leisure)

5.4 The wellness suite is envisaged to offer health related consulting rooms for services such as a physiotherapist, a neuroscientist and mental health consultants.
5.5 The entrance would be through the same entrance used by Lloyds Bank, and would use the existing staircases within the former Lloyds area.
5.6 Any external signage would be part of a separate Advertising Consent application.
5.7 The changing rooms would also be for the use of employees of tenants in Hillary House, Victory House and Gordon House who may choose to get changed upon arrival at their place of work.

6.0 Summary
6.1 The proposal makes best use of older vacant office space that is proving difficult to find a tenant for as it doesn’t meet current office standards and expectations for office space.
6.2 The addition of a gymnasium and changing rooms to the Rose Estates portfolio will enhance the

standard of their properties and bring them up to the standard of other refurbished offices in Douglas.
6.3 The provision of the wellness suites is aligned with the Government’s “Our Island Plan” which repeatedly stresses the importance of wellbeing to the Isle of Man.
6.4 The location is very well served by public transport and there are two large public car parks in the immediate vicinity.
6.5 The application complies with the few relevant planning policies that are applicable to this proposal.