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20 Duke Street, Douglas, Isle of Man. IM1 2AY
Telephone 00 44 (01624) 622122 Mobile 00 44 (07624) 498099. E Mail : [email protected]
Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas. IM1 2SF
26 July 2016.
Dear Sir / Madam,
Please find enclosed our detailed planning application in respect of the above application. The application details contain scale drawings of the existing dwelling, a topographical site survey and our proposed drawing package. In addition to this statement, also enclosed is a letter from the applicant:
Mr. David Salkeld, which provides a brief explanation as to the necessity of the application, along with supporting letters from neighbours residing local to the application site.
Our initial brief was to expand the current family home - a detached single storey two bedroom bungalow, in order to create much needed additional family accommodation, various options were considered and presented to the department for preliminary consultation (vertical & general expansion of the footprint). Further to in-depth discussions with Miss Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer, we quickly established that to create the accommodation required the extension of the existing may be flawed... we estimate the bungalow (external footprint approx 94 square metres) was constructed in the 1970's and whilst being structurally capable of extension and alteration, it has many constructional constraints and assuming such extensions were accepted by the department, ultimately may not provide the applicant with a cost-effective viable build - such consultations result in the preparation and submission of this application.
Perk Cottage is constructed within close proximity to Knock Froy Lane, being separated in part by a manx hedgerow - allowing little breathing space between the highway & the building, consequently only 1 car parking space exists, plus the single garage, with no facility to turn vehicles within the site. Design wise, we suggest the existing form is non cohesive, whilst being modest in overall size, the overhanging roof verge / gable, window positions & fenestration along with the flat roof front porch are not of traditional form or particularly visually appealing.
In terms of the policy that applies to this application we quote the following:
"Where a replacement dwelling is permitted, it must not be substantially different to the existing in terms of siting and size, unless changes of siting or size would result in an overall environmental improvement; the new building should therefore generally be sited on the "footprint" of the existing, and should have a floor area which is not more than $50 \%$ greater than that of the original building (floor areas should be measured externally and should not include attic space or outbuildings). Generally the design of the new building should be in accordance with Policies 2-7 of the present Planning Circular 3/91 (which will be revised and issued as a Planning Policy Statement). Exceptionally, permission may be granted for buildings of innovative, modern design where this is of high quality and would not result in adverse visual impact; designs should incorporate the re-use of such stone and slate as are still in place on the site, and in generally, new fabric should be finished to match the materials of the original building. Consideration may be given to proposals which result in a larger dwelling which involves the replacement of an existing dwelling of poor form with one of more traditional character, or where, by its design and or siting, there would be less visual impact."
We propose to replace the existing building with a dwelling of simple - traditional form, typical to the Manx countryside, incorporating within the rear elevation some contemporary design elements, which one could argue is more appropriate to the site location and policy guidance. The proposed external footprint extends to around 135 square metres - less than a $50 \%$ increase beyond that of the existing. As proposed the replacement dwelling floor area $=270$ square metres and is sited within close proximity to the existing building, encroaching into the adjacent field number 514332 (within the applicants own statement an explanation of this approach is covered). Please note the suggested domestic curtilage extension is limited to around 1 metre beyond the rear patio area, an evergreen hedgerow being proposed at this point to form the entire rear boundary. It is intended to construct the proposed dwelling at a slight angle from the front roadway, affording the building a more southerly aspect and greater levels of light to the principal reception rooms. All services exist, it is intended to utilize existing established drainage methods, soakaway 's for surface water and a properly functioning septic tank to deal with gray water.
It is accepted by the applicant that as presented this proposal goes beyond guidance suggested within the quoted policy - to mitigate we respectfully suggest that as proposed the replacement dwelling provides an overall environmental improvement to the existing situation. By repositioning the dwelling footprint beyond that of the existing, several points should be considered - highway safety is improved, a vehicle can be turned around within the site and additional parking can be accommodated, a greater distance between the built footprint and highway is achieved, allowing the proposal to sit comfortably in part within the current area of domesticity and the corner of the land under control of Mr Salkeld, providing a more open visual break from areas of public amenity - a new build will afford the applicant the ability to construct a modern thermally efficient structure, to exceed values established within our building regulations, which if approved should provide the family with the accommodation so desperately required.
Should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me
For and Behalf of Arch Tec (IOM) Ltd
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