DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/00785/B Applicant: Mr Richard & Mrs Tracey Ronan Proposal: Installation of replacement windows and door to front elevation Site Address: 85 Malew Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1LX Technical Officer: Mr Thomas Sinden Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 21.08.2020 _________________________________________________________________

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 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The proposal complies with General Policy 2, Environment Policy 35, Planning Policy 1/98 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and whilst the materials are not traditional as suggested by Environment Policy 34, the proposals preserve the character of the Conservation Area.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to details noted in the design statement on the application covering letter, and products included within the supporting information, received on 22nd July 2020. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site is a property on the west side of Malew Street in Castletown, within the town's Conservation Area. The street has rows of terraced properties on both sides sited directly on the highway. All of the properties on the western side of the street in this area are two storeys in height with pitched roofs and chimney breasts on each party wall. The eastern side of the street is of similar style, but also has some properties that are three storeys in height. Wall finishes are a mix of painted smooth render, painted stonework, and exposed limestone. Windows are a mix of sliding sash and

• casement, as well as a mix of materials with painted timber and UPVC. The original style, however, is sliding sash. A variety of colours are used for window frames along the street. Front doors are general painted timber, with some solid and some with fixed glazed panels of various forms.
• 1.2 The property itself is two storey, with a white painted stonework wall facing on to the street. Windows are black painted timber, sliding sash at first floor and casement at ground floor. The front door is black painted timber with no glazing panels.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposal is to replace the existing windows on the front elevation with UPVC sliding sash windows at ground and first floor in the same form as those existing at first floor level, but in white rather than in black. It is also proposed to replace the existing solid painted timber front door with a composite door with two glass panels in the upper section, finished in anthracite grey.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South 2013 as predominantly residential and within the town's Conservation Area where Environment Policy 35 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 require development to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area and to take into account in any decision, the special character of the area. - 3.2 Planning Circular 1/98 provides advice on the replacement of windows and suggests in Conservation Areas the method of opening is more important than the frame material but the original method of opening should be replicated where the originals are in place. - 3.3 Environment Policy 34 expresses a preference for the use of traditional materials in the maintenance, extension or alteration of pre-1920 buildings. - 3.4 General Policy 2 sets out general standards for development to achieve including being sympathetic to the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 There are no planning applications in respect of 85 Malew Street itself. The area between the house and the rear lane has been the subject of various applications relating to a new dwelling, but these are not considered relevant to this application.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 The Department of Infrastructure Highways Division have stated that they do not oppose the application subject to a condition relating to highway works (4.8.2020). Given the nature of the proposals, it is not thought relevant to include this condition within any approval.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issue here is whether the proposed windows and door preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Conservation Area in which the property sits taking into account the special character of the area. - 6.2 The proposed windows are to be UPVC framed in white, all sliding sash. Whilst the colour is a departure from the existing black frames, white frames are frequently used along the street. The alteration of the ground floor windows to sliding sash is seen as a broadly positive step, as whilst fixed or casement ground floor windows exist along the street, the properties where sliding sash units are in place at ground floor level sit more comfortably within the general character of the Conservation Area. The replacement windows are therefore judged to enhance the character of the Conservation Area. - 6.3 The application also proposes to replace the existing black painted timber front door with a composite door containing two glass panels in the upper section, finished in anthracite grey. There are various styles of front door used along the street, some solid and some with glazed panels, and the door proposed is not a significant departure from the others in the vicinity. The proposed door

will sit comfortably within the general character of the Conservation Area, and will preserve the character of the Conservation Area.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 It is concluded that the application complies with the principles of Planning Circular 1/98 and meets the tests of Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and Planning Policy Statement 1/01, in that the provision of appropriately proportioned sliding sash windows at ground floor level will enhance the character of the Conservation Area. General Policy 2(c) is also met as the proposals do not affect adversely the character of the surrounding townscape. It is therefore recommended that the application be approved. Whilst EP34 expresses a preference for traditional materials, PC1/98 makes it clear that the opening style is more important than the frame material.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.

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 above 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: 24.08.2020 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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