Officer Report

Application No.: 18/01198/B Applicant: Department Of Education, Sport And Culture Proposal: Removal of existing deck footbridge and steps within playground area and installation of deck ramps, landings, steps and footbridge, along with door and window alteration, to provide wheelchair access to upper playground and school building at first floor level Site Address: Schoill Yn Jubilee Laureston Avenue Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 3BR Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 17.12.2018 _________________________________________________________________

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This permission relates to the following plans, drawings and photographs - date stamped as received on 14th November 2018: o 1756/55/P01 Rev C - Plans as Existing and Proposed _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The site is the curtilage of Scoill Yn Jubilee, Laureston Avenue, Douglas. The application site is a primary school surrounded by a predominantly residential area of the town. - 1.2 The main school building front onto Laureston Avenue, with a large hard surface playground area at the rear on Palatine Road. To the south east of the site there is a stepped down area of hard surfacing accessible from the main area via steps, this runs adjacent to a lane between Laureston Avenue and Palatine Road, running parallel with the rear of houses on Murrays Road. - 1.3 The school building sits lower at ground level than the play area to the rear due to the change in topography on the site. There are steps from the smaller hard surface area leading into a metal footbridge and door on the first floor of the school building.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is for the removal of the existing metal deck footbridge and steps within the playground area and installation of new metal deck ramps, landings, steps and footbridge within the lower playground area. The purpose is to provide wheelchair access into the upper playground and into the school building at first floor level. Overall, the ramp and associated steps etc. will extend 17m from the rear elevation of the building, with the 3 sections of ramp measuring 5m across in total. - 2.2 The door will be replaced with a new double glazed white uPVC unit in a wider door opening to enable wheelchair access.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 No such works have been carried out on the site in the past, however modifications associated with the health and safety of pupils have been undertaken over the years, including the following:

• o 01/00043/B - Creation of fire escape. PERMITTED.
• o 09/01700/B - Installation of replacement metal railings. PERMITTED.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The application site is within an area designated as a Primary School as zoned in the Douglas Local Plan 1998. - 4.2 Therefore, in terms of policy it is important to consider General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 in the assessment of this application. General Policy 2 states (in part);

"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:

b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them;"

4.3 Further, Community Policy 5 is of relevance due to the nature of the site: "Permission will generally be given for proposals to improve or extend existing schools and institutions of higher education and to build new 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."

4.4 Additionally, regard in this instance must be had to Planning Circular 1/91: Provision for Disabled People, which states: "The built environment should be convenient for use by disabled people"

"(5) Approach to Buildings: The approach to at least one entrance of a building from the adjacent street and from any parking area should be level or ramped. The gradient of any ramp should not exceed 1:12, and should preferably be no more than 1:15. The design of the approach, the entrance doors, and any porch or lobby should be in accordance with paragraph 6 of BS 5810."

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Douglas Borough Council have no objection to the application (23.11.18).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The key considerations in the determination of this application are:

• o The need for the proposal
• o The location and scale of the proposal

6.2 The need for the proposal

• 6.2.1 The proposal is considered to be an improvement to the school in terms of access for disabled and reduced mobility users, which, in accordance with Community Policy 5 of the IOMSP, is generally permissible.
• 6.2.2 The applicant has detailed the requirement to cater for access needs for wheelchair user pupils. The current need cannot be met by existing access arrangements, and the ramp is therefore proposed to meet this need.
• 6.2.3 Planning Circular 1/91 lends support to applications which increase the convenience of the built environment for disabled users.

6.3 The location and scale of the proposal

• 6.3.1 The proposal is ancillary to the use of the school, and within the school grounds and is not regarded to have any potential impact on neighbours or general amenity in the surrounding area. It is also in compliance with the land use designation of the Douglas Local Plan.
• 6.3.2 The position to the rear of the school building with access into the playground would provide optimum accessibility for users with reduced mobility, in creating a means of access to both the school and playground for wheelchairs.
• 6.3.3 The size of the proposal is regarded as necessary in that the ramp must not be constructed at a gradient of over 1:15 (PC 1/91). The plans show that the ramp will be at 1:15 therefore within the preferred range and suitable for users. The 17mx5m space occupied by the ramp and steps would occupy a section of play area for pupils but would still feature standard step access to the upper playground and sufficient open space would remain. It is regarded that the provision of adequate facilities for disabled users outweighs the loss of some open space on balance.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 For the above reasons the proposal is considered to comply with The Douglas Local Plan, General Policy 2 and Community Policy of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and Planning Circular 1/91 and is therefore acceptable.

8.0 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.

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

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 17.12.2018 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

Customer note

This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.