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1658.06
NEW DWELLING AT LAND ADJACENT TO ROCKWOOD, RAMSEY ROAD LAXEY for MR A BURROWS
BRIEF PLANNING STATEMENT
The site is part of the area zoned residential in the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan 2005. The site is also within the area zoned as Predominantly Residential in the Laxey Map 7 of the Draft Area Plan for the East. This site has been granted planning approval before for a large residence (see PA's 97/02245/B, 05/92177/B and 07/01527/B). It also has a leisure building at the bottom of the site permitted under PA's 11/00143/B and 12/01375/B. It also has permission for a new gazebo and patio under PA 19/0565/B which has yet to be constructed. Therefore, the site is appropriately zoned for residential development now and for the foreseeable future; and similar scale residential development has been approved in the past.
The character of the residential development along the upper and lower sides of the Ramsey Road through Laxey could be summarised as an ad-hoc arrangement of one, two, three and four storey dwellings, set on steeply sloping hillsides, curving along the line of Laxey Bay. The dwellings are arranged in terraces, semi-detached and detached dwellings. The visual landscape of the hillsides has single or two storey dwellings sitting next to three or four storey dwellings; crating a very up-and-down pattern of rooftops. The dwellings are predominantly traditional in design with white render, slate or slate lookalike pitched roofs, with chimneys on gables and a predominantly vertical emphasis. Due to its location on the northern side of Laxey bay the site cannot be easily seen from anywhere else along the Laxey bay area.
The site slopes steeply from the Ramsey Road frontage, down to the existing leisure building, sited along the railway line frontage; a drop of some 15 m from boundary to boundary. Parts of the site have the steepest section of escarpment along this stretch of the Ramsey Road. The area on the site where the dwelling is best located, is on an escarpment slope where the drop is approximately 8 m from top to bottom. The site enjoys views towards Laxey Bay. The design
makes full use of the steep slope topography, creating a split level dwelling; where from the Ramsey Road the dwelling appeared single storey, and from the bay appeared two storeys with a basement below.
The new vehicle access off Ramsey Road has been designed to the recommendations of Highways Development Control, showing the required visibility splays of $2.4 \mathrm{~m} \times 43 \mathrm{~m}$. The site plan shows a 5-car garage, internally 6 m deep $\times 15 \mathrm{~m}$ long; with an appropriately sized $11 \mathrm{~m} \times$ 15 m manoeuvring area outside. This allows 5 cars in the garage and up to 5 cars parked outside in a line with adequate manoeuvring space behind so you can have up to 10 cars parked at any time on the property. This manoeuvring area is set at a datum of 56.00 and is constructed in permeable clay pavers to allow rain to soak through the pavement rather than introducing falls and drainage. The garage roof has hipped ends to reduce the visual impact on the new house and the neighbouring dwelling South Court. The design of the garage shows a gable feature over the central garage door to mimic that of the gable over the principal entrance to the main house.
There is planting along the existing gabion wall along Ramsey Road to soften it against the parking courtyard pavers. There is also planting on the steeper slopes across the site as there is little opportunity for lawn/grass as the slopes are too steep for grass-cutting. There is screen planting along the full length of the boundary to South Court, softening the impact of the new dwelling frontage towards their neighbour.
The upper ground floor, the principal entry level of the house is set at 56.00 so that there is a level access from the vehicle manoeuvring and parking courtyard. The design has stepped paths down to the left and right of the front of the house to get access down to the lower ground floor below; and this lower ground floor is set at 52.5 level. Intermediate landing areas are included on the steps, so the windows on the upper ground floor can be cleaned off a ladder/zip-up platform. The steps follow the existing levels of the site and so reduce excavation externally. Sloping steps are shown along the right side of the house from the boiler/plant room down to the new lawn, as the sloping steps better suit the slope of the site on this side of the house. On the left side of the house below the home offices and sunroom, traditional steps have been shown as these are more suited to the steep falls on this side of the house. These steps go down to the higher of the two 'basement' stores at level of 49.00 , with the other lower 'basement' store being set at a lower level 48.00. Access to the 'basement' stores is via a pathway that is 2 m wide down the left side of the house.
The design includes a new large relatively flat and level lawn area of approximately 9.5 m deep $x$ 27 m wide. The site plan also shows the planned new BBQ area with gazebo (PA 19/00565/B).
there are planting beds against the new house walls in places at this lower level to soften the impact of the new house walls in the landscape.
Like many other dwellings on the Laxey hillsides the new dwelling is designed to be traditional in appearance with a vertical emphasis on the windows, with slate look-a-like pitched roofs, and traditional materials on the walls. The design of the dwelling has made full use of the views to the bay with large windows and terraces on the south-west elevation. The overall form of the house is designed to have one character of materials for the main house (to have stone cladding, coloured polymer render); and a second character of materials for the sunroom and offices under, (with mainly timber effect fibre cement panels). This creates the character of the main house as an elegant mansion house of almost perfect symmetry, with the differentiating character of the sunroom/home offices as a separate 'pavilion' on the south end of the house.
The roof design is specific to the Applicant's requirements for the floor plan layouts, with a duopitched roof, with projecting gables and a roof covering of artificial slate. There are 55-degree gables to the formal dining/family dining/kitchen area and master bedroom area. This will allow the Applicant to have ceilings open to the underside of the roof to create dramatic spaces in both areas with open trusses supporting the roof. With this in mind, the windows and french doors open up into the roof gable to add to the dramatic 'open roof' effect inside.
On the south-east elevation, the gable towards their neighbour in South Court; the roof has been sloped downwards and not shown as a true gable wall/roof verge. This is to reduce the visual impact along that boundary frontage to South Court. This combined with the screen planting which will soften the walls to the house, and screen it visually, and should help reduce any visual impact on their neighbour.
The 'centre-piece' of the south-west elevation design is the upper ground floor sitting room sliding/folding doors with clerestory windows above, grouped either side of the natural stone fireplace/chimney with clay pots. This clerestory window feature roof will give the sitting room a uniquely high feature ceiling and bring daylight deep into the room. The terrace outside the master-bedroom, sitting room and formal dining room, has a central outdoor fireplace and has a glass balustrade along its full length so that the views of the bay are uninterrupted.
On the lower ground floor, balconies with glass balustrades have been designed to the right-hand Guest Bedroom and Gym. For the Home Office, the Games Room and the two central guest bedrooms, there are large picture windows with central french doors opening inwards with a glass Juliet-balconies.
The 'basement' stores on the lowest levels of 49.00 and 48.00 have been shown with up-andover timber-effect garage doors for access; for getting garden and house maintenance equipment/ride-on small vehicles, garden furniture into the basement areas.
The surface water drainage is collected in a small network of 100 mm dia pipes and discharged to soakaways. The foul drainage is collected in a small network of 100 mm dia pipes and discharged to manholes on an existing private foul drain, which eventually and some way off-site discharges into the public sewer.
The Applicant believes the design of the dwelling is attractive, traditional in form with a contemporary appearance. It's design is respectful of, and in context with other dwellings along the Laxey hillsides. It makes full use of the site topography and is respectfully distant from its neighbours of Rockwood and South Court. Therefore, the Applicant respectfully requests that planning approval is granted.
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