May Hill House Planning Statement
Our Ref: 13-TB-892 26th June 2014
Planning Statement
Application for Planning Approval and Registered Building Consent for May Hill House, May Hill, Ramsey IM8 2EF, on behalf of Mr and Mrs Tim Byrne
Proposed works: Demolition of existing boiler room and remodelling of existing pantry. Construction of new private dance studio, family room and balcony area, together with glazed link between new and existing buildings. Remodelling of existing hard landscaping.
The owners of May Hill House, Mr and Mrs Tim Byrne, have lived in the house since before the building was registered, and actively supported the registration of the house. During this time the house has become a treasured family home. All the period and unique features of the house have been retained.
Mrs Byrne is an artist, and currently uses the conservatory for her painting. This is a totally inappropriate environment for this occupation, due to the excessive heat generated within the conservatory. Mrs Byrne also has mobility issues and is largely wheelchair-bound, and this has given rise to the need to improve general access by removing localised changes in level.
Mr and Mrs Byrne's daughter is a professional ballet dancer, who requires a dedicated space in which to practice and hone her skills. In order for the space to be truly useful, it should conform to the space standards laid down by the National Dance Teachers Association, not only in plan terms, but also in height.
The above outlines the reasoning behind the desire for the proposed extension.
At the rear of May Hill House are two redundant outhouses in a poor state of repair, and an early flat-roofed extension which currently houses the central heating boiler. None of these structures lies within the boundary of the Registered Building, as shown on the Registration document. It would also appear that the Pantry, with its lean-to roof, is a later addition and is not included in the Registration.
The proposals, as illustrated in the enclosed application, call for the removal of the outhouses along the boundary wall, and for the demolition of the boiler room, with the boiler relocated into the new extension.
The removal of the outhouses would make way for the major part of the extension, the private Dance Studio/Artists Studio, together with the Family Room/Snug, and the bathroom. This accommodation has been conceived as a stand-alone building with a slate roof pitched to reflect the steep pitches of the main house roofs. However, the building will be linked to the main house by a single-storey glazed structure with a low pitched (almost flat) roof. The glazing allows the original form of the house to be "read" through the new link.
Externally, a lowered paving area has been created around the new extension in order to improve wheelchair accessibility. The construction of the new extension will involve the removal of two semi-mature trees along the north-east boundary of the site. However, both trees are in relatively poor condition.
Robin Boyle
For and on behalf of Ashley Pettit Architects
