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The application site is St German's Cathedral and its grounds, Derby Road, Peel. The Cathedral is a Registered Building (No. 204). The site is bounded by Derby Road to the north, Atholl Street to the west, a car park to the east and to the south the site is bordered by an undeveloped parcel of land and the residential estate called The Grove.
Presently, vehicular access to the Cathedral is via the entrances at Derby Road and Atholl Street. A further pedestrian access is available from Lyndale Avenue. Within the grounds is the cathedral itself which sits in the southern half of the site and to the north Corrin Hall which is used for a variety of purposes including as a play group and is a venue for various community activities. Corrin Hall is the subject of a concurrent application (10/01814/B) which seeks approval for the renovation and alterations and extensions.
The grounds of the Cathedral are mostly laid as lawn with mature trees along most of the boundary of the southern half of the site. The northern half contains fewer trees and these are smaller species resulting in amore open character. The road ways and hard landscaping of the grounds are a mixture of tarmacadum, gravel and compacted soil and the grassed areas, particularly around the northern half suffer from wear as a result of car parking.
This application seeks approval for the creation of landscaping scheme including the erection of an electricity sub station, replica keill and hermits cell and bus shelter lay-by. The scheme relates to all of the grounds however the southern edge is least affected and the majority of the works are focused upon the northern half of the site.
The main components of the scheme are as shown on Drawing PL217/10A Rev A numbered 1 - 20. Numbers 1 - 14 are individually designed gardens which reflect different styles and ages. No. 15 is a car park which would provide 23 spaces which space dedicated for motorbikes or bicycles. No. 16 shows the re-positioned bus shelter on Derby Road and No. 17 shows a set of steps which would lead from Derby Road. No.18 shows a service area to serve the Corrin Hall and No.19 highlights a new ramped access to replace the steps which lead from Lyndale Avenue. No.20 is to be an art exhibition area although the plan would not appear to show where this would be located. Some of the garden areas would include built structures.
The application sets out that the proposal seeks to create a set of gardens which tell the story of how the Church has impinged on Manx culture over two Millennia. the gardens are conceptual in nature and include public art.
The following previous planning applications are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application: 10/01814/B Renovation, alterations and erection of extensions to Corrin Hall. This is pending consideration. 08/00822/GB Erection of a dwelling within grounds. Refused.
05/01502/GB Alterations to north entrance, introduction of paving setts, forming new steps and disabled ramp, relocation of car parking (with additional spaces and landscaping) and relocation of lamp post and flag pole. Permitted.
The application site is located within an area identified as being
Environment Policy 32, which states:
"Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted."
Environment Policy 35, which states:
"Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."
The owner/occupier of 20 Circular Road, Peel (not immediately adjoining the site) objects to this application on the grounds that there would be a loss of parking, the filed of the Corrin Hall which is a community building would be used by the Cathedral, the development will require future maintenance this would be a burden on the church's funds.
The owner/occupier of Lhargan, 4 Peveril Avenue, Peel does not object to the principle of this application but feels that more parking should be included to accommodate the various uses of the Cathedral and its grounds.
Peel Town Commissioners do not object to this application. The Manx Electricity Authority has attached an advisory note regarding electricity supply. The Highways Division does not oppose this application.
The main issues to be assessed in the determination of this proposal are:
The Strategic Plan recognises at Paragraph 7.25.3 that "The historic environment in practice cannot remain unchanged, and the role of planning is to reconcile the needs for development against the need to conserve and protect the historic environment." In applying this stance to the proposed development, it can be seen that the works identified by the approval drawings would result in considerable change to the character of the setting of the Registered Building. Be this as it may, change in itself is not a reason to reject a proposal, rather the determining factor must be whether the changes would be harmful to the setting of the historic building. It is perhaps helpful to have in mind the mantra set out by Environmental Policy 35 which seeks to preserve or enhance the character and special features of the Island's Conservation Areas.
The scheme includes a dedicated parking area with planting beds serving to break up the area. Hedging and tree planting would soften the proposal whilst also creating a structure to the grounds. This would most likely provide an interesting space for visitors to the site and would perhaps signify the importance of the Cathedral both in community terms and as a landmark building within the Town. It could be argued that the scheme would be overly complex and as such would have the effect of diverting attention from the Cathedral to its detriment. Indeed, the existing somewhat sombre setting of the grounds is quite removed from the varied design layout proposed here. Bearing this in mind, it is clear that the group of mature trees on the southern boundary would remain and the works would focus mainly on the less attractive parts of the site. Key views of the Cathedral would not be adversely affected, indeed the view from Atholl Street would be enhanced considerably. It is judged that overall the proposal would enhance the setting of the Cathedral in accordance with EP32.
The Cathedral plays and important role within the Peel Conservation Area set in a commanding position with boundaries on two of the Town's main streets. As such it is important to consider how the proposal would affect the character of the wider area. From Atholl Street and Derby Road, the works would clearly enhance the wider area. The Atholl Street entrance would be resurfaced and
would be planted up. It is from Derby Road where the main focus of the works would be seen. The introduction of steps to the site would be advantageous in terms of access and would create a new viewpoint of the entrance to the Cathedral. The introduction of planting would also soften the existing boundary.
It is concluded that overall the works would enhance the Conservation Area in accordance with EP35.
The Highways Division originally deferred consideration of the proposal as the plans included an error in the size of the vehicular access and the position of the bus stop. These have now been resolved and the Highways Division has responded with no objection. It is concluded that the car park would represent an improvement to the existing situation, providing a dedicated parking area that is finished to perform its function. This will serve to enhance the appearance and use of the site.
In terms of wider impacts, the conclusions reached above are relevant. The works are judged to be acceptable both in their impact upon the Registered Building and to the wider Conservation Area.
As the property is a Registered Building (RB 204) and located within the Peel Conservation Area, the content of this application has been considered with particular regard to POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS and RB/3: GENERAL CRITERIA APPLIED IN CONSIDERING REGISTERED BUILDING APPLICATIONS as set out within Planning Policy Statement 1/01- Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man and Environment Policies 32 and 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (20th June 2007).
Cathedrals have historically been the centre of learning, both in teaching the clergy and also in imparting knowledge, the teachings of Christianity, to the masses. In doing so, cathedrals were more than just a place of worship; they provided housing for the clergy, or in some cases monks, medical facilities and in some cases facilities to feed the inhabitants.
The creation of landscaping around this cathedral is not in itself considered to be detrimental to the character of the cathedral. For some time, that character has been open space, bounded by stone walls capped with cast iron railings with a backdrop of mature deciduous trees to the north and east. The formal, gated entrance to the cathedral lies to the south. It could easily be argued that the current space around the cathedral is potentially underutilised and does little to enhance the setting of the cathedral as it is.
These proposals are intended to illustrate the history of Christianity on the Isle of Man and to provide contemplative space around the cathedral. This is in itself, in line with the raison d'etre of the cathedral. The applicant's desire to encourage more people to utilise the area around the cathedral and the building itself is considered to be in line with the tenet of the building itself.
It is considered that the quality of the landscaping will enhance the setting of the cathedral and the Conservation Area is within which it sits.
In conclusion, it is recommended that the application be approved as it is considered to comply with policies RB/3 and RB/5 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and Environment Policies 32 and 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (20th June 2007).
It is concluded that the proposed works are acceptable when assessed against policy. Concerns regarding the loss of parking are not shared by the Highways Division and it can be seen on site that
the existing parking arrangements are poor both in terms of layout but also the visual impact caused by damage to the grassed areas and of vehicles parking in a adhoc fashion. The dedicated parking area will overcome the visual shortcomings of the existing situation whilst regularising the parking for the site.
Permit
It is considered that the following parties, who submitted comments, accord with the requirements of Planning Circular 1/06 and are therefore, afforded Interested Party Status:
Accordingly the following parties are not granted Interested Party Status:
The Highways Division is now part of the Department of Infrastructure of which the planning authority is part. As such, the Highways Division cannot be afforded Interested Party Status.
Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of Recommendation: 31.05.2011
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
C 2. This approval relates to the creation of landscaping scheme including the erection of an electricity sub station, replica keeil and hermits cell, and bus shelter lay-by, St German's Cathedral, Derby Road, Peel as shown by Location Plan, Report, Material for Hard Landscape, PL217/11, PL217/6, 2010/2,
2011/2, 0804B01 and 5926/02 all received 10th January 2011 and PL217/10A REV A and 0804A/07 REV B received 26th April 2011.
Prior to the use of the car park the vehicular access from Derby Road must be widened as shown by PL217/10A Revision A.
I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to the Senior Planning Officer.
Decision Made: Permitted Date: 10/10/11
Signed: Michael Gallagher Jennifer Chance Senior Planning Officer Delete as appropriate
Signed: Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control
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