Officer Report

Application No.: 18/00280/B Applicant: Department Of Education Sport And Culture Proposal: Alterations to staff parking area Site Address: Car Park Scoill Vallajeelt Meadow Crescent Douglas Isle Of Man Case Officer : Mr Owen Gore Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 30.05.2018 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

• C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.

Reason: To comply with article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

• C 2. Tree planting shall be carried out in accordance with BS8545:2014 Mitigation Planting Plan prepared by Manx Roots Tree Management, submitted in support of the application. Planting shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding season following completion of the development. Any trees which, within a period of 5 years from their planting, die, are removed, or, in the opinion of the Department, become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced as soon as is reasonably practicable or in the next planting season with others of similar size, species and number as originally approved.

Reason: To safeguard the appearance of the development and the surrounding area in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This Planning permission relates to the following plans and documents: Planning Statement Transport Impacts of Co-Location report BS5837:2012 Tree survey and Report

• Drawing No.P00 - Site Plan
• Drawing No.P01 - Site Location Plan
• Drawing No.P02 - Existing and Proposed Layouts and section All date-stamped as having been received 16 March 2018

Drawing No.PF5000-ST Rev1 - Manual Standard Raise Arm Barrier Date-stamped as having been received 19 March 2018 _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The application site is part of the wider site for Scoill Vallajeelt, which is school in a large bungalow style building. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is for alterations to the existing staff parking area to increase the parking provision and introduce barrier controls to this part of the car park. PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The site is shown on the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998 map No.2 as being within the local plan area and the property is designated within an 'Area of Buildings for Civic, Cultural & Other Special Use', which is further specified as a 'PS' for primary school. The application site is not within a Conservation Area.

3.2 The Strategic Plan 2016 contains policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this planning application.

3.3 General Policy 2 applies to proposals that are in accordance with the land-use zoning and states that development will normally be permitted where it meets the relevant criteria identified in the policy. - 3.4 Community Policy 5 is applicable to proposal to existing school sites and states that 'permission will generally be given for proposals to improve or extend existing schools…subject to their being sited and designed in accordance with the other policies of this plan, having particular regard to the potential for community use of the buildings and the associated Open Space'.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The previous planning applications are not considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Representation from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division confirms that they do not oppose in the letter dated 2 March 2018. The comments continue: -

'The proposal is to provide an additional 4 car parking spaces for staff, extending the number of spaces from 52 to 56… The proposed spaces would be on existing hardstanding and each of

adequate size 2m x 6m. There is an adjacent site turning facility which would allow for vehicle manoeuvring and enable cars to enter and leave the site in forward gear. There would be no changes to the existing site access arrangements which are acceptable. A manually controlled barrier is proposed to control the 10 spaces (6 existing and 4 proposed) to the north-west of the school to remove congestion in the area at school pick up and drop off times. The barrier would be positioned 20m away from the car park entrance onto the highway. No queuing back onto the highway should occur from the barrier as up to 4 cars could wait in front of it while it was being opened'.

5.2 Douglas Borough Council have commented on this application and stated that they do not object, in the letter dated 03 May 2018. - 5.3 The Arboricultural Officer from the Forestry, Amenity and Lands Directorate of DEFA has commented on the application, in the email dated 16 April 2018. These comments state that they do not object to the tree removal, as new tree planting will be key to maintaining the integrity of the hedge and providing screening a condition has also been recommended.

ASSESSMENT

6.1 The proposal is to improve the parking of the existing school use; therefore the principle for the development is acceptable in accordance with Community Policy 5, subject to the considerations below.

6.2 The proposed changes to the hardstanding are minimal and to the side of the existing building, away from the highway. A new bin storage area is being included on the site; however it is set behind the proposed barrier and to the side of the access road. The barrier will clearly delineate the non-public part of the site and the bin storage will be a legible addition to this. - 6.3 Particularly due to the proposed use as additional, staff parking, any impact to the neighbouring properties is unlikely to be significant.

CONCLUSION

7.1 The proposal would not unacceptably harm the characteristics of the existing building or the character of its surroundings. The proposed development would not result in a significant adverse impact upon the living conditions of neighbouring residents. On-site parking provision is adequate and complies with the standards set out in appendix 7 - Parking Standards. The proposal therefore complies with General Policy 2. INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material
• (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and
• (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed in Article 6(4) who should be given Interested Person Status.

8.3 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot be given Interested Person Status.

I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Senior Planning Officer in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 31.05.2018 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer

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