Officer Report

Application No.: 16/00284/B Applicant: Twickenham Investment Ltd Proposal: Construction of a car park deck over an existing car parking area Site Address: Land To Rear Of RL360 House Isle of Man Business Park Douglas Isle of Man IM2 2SP Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken: 07.04.2016 Site Visit: 07.04.2016 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is the curtilage of an existing office building set within landscaped grounds, to the north east of the Cooil Road (A24) and to the south east of the Business Park estate road. The existing building is cruciform in shape with a pond to the north west and an open, grassed area to the north east alongside the estate road. Access is from the north east and car parking is arranged around the south east of the building at ground level. - 1.2 To the south east of the site is the headquarters of the Manx Utilities Authority and Ballacottier Cottage, a residential property beyond which are the offices of Celton Manx. To the north west is open land which is designated for Business Park development, development having been recently approved for a new corporate headquarters (PA 15/01366/B) on part of this area. To the south west is open land which is not designated for development on the Braddan Local Plan of 1991 which is the adopted area plan for this area. - 1.3 Access to the car park is presently from just to the north of the building from the main estate road. On the site visit almost all of the available car parking spaces were fully occupied. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Proposed is the erection of a platform to provide two levels of car parking to serve the site. The applicant company has recently acquired another company and wishes to relocate its staff to the site, resulting in an increased requirement for car parking. Interestingly, the recently approved office development opposite, PA 15/01366/B also proposed a two tier parking arrangement on part of the site. - 2.2 The parking platform will be located at the rear of the site, between the main building and the MUA and Ballacottier Cottage. This boundary has on it a row of trees which overhang all three sites and the applicant has provided a tree protection plan which shows the protection of the canopy area of those trees which are not already encroaching onto hard surfaced areas. Two trees at the northern end of the row are Category A, the majority of the remainder Category B and a few C and U. A number of trees are to be removed as part of the proposal, mainly within the car park: these are Category B and U. - 2.3 The upper platform will be elevated by around 2.8m and will have a mesh fence on each site as a boundary. Access to the upper level will be from the north east. The existing arrangement provides 103 spaces with 43 in the area to the north east of the building. Proposed would be176 spaces. The applicant has been advised that the owner of the area where the 43 spaces are

• provided intends to use the land for another purpose and this will no longer be available to the applicant. Advice has been provided to indicate that this area was always considered to be part of the main site and may not be available for separate development, as the Business Park concept was to have buildings occupying no more than 25% of the plot and be set in a landscaped context (the existing building represents around 12% of the whole application site and 20% of the area without the adjacent parking area. The existing building provides 2490 sq m of floor space (assumed to be gross).
• 2.4 The applicant provides an arboricultural report which describes some of the existing trees on site as having been subject to poor pruning in recent years with significant topping which threatens their long term health although their current health and structure are considered to be good and overall the structural and physiological condition of the trees is good. It describes the removal of 24 small trees and 1 large tree to facilitate the development and the impact of the loss of these trees is considered to be low. The one large tree is considered to be notable due to its size although has been subject to poor pruning and is considered to be far from a specimen tree. This needs to be removed to facilitate access to the upper floor. The report states that further pruning work may be required but this is unlikely.
• 2.5 Whilst there is open space to the north of the building and parking, the applicant wishes to sell this off for redevelopment rather than using it to accommodate the further parking now required. Whilst this is a matter for further consideration at a later time, it should be noted that if this area were separated from the current operation, the amount of land taken up by buildings on the remaining area would still be less than 25% of the overall site in accordance with the Business Park development brief (see below). PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Braddan Local Plan of 1991 as "Master Plan to be prepared which will include areas of Industrial Use, Science Based Industries, High Density Residential Use, Landscaping and Secondary School of approximately 16 acres". This succeeded a planning application in principle for the development of a business park of 40 acres, which was approved on appeal under PA 89/04166. This required, inter alia that the business park comprise light industrial use, warehousing, development associated with new technology companies predominantly involved in scientific, commercial or industrial research and development or electronic systems, micro-engineering, biotechnology, office accommodation as the corporate headquarters of companies which utilise the new information technologies and service other park users but specifically excluding financial and professional services to visiting members of the public, including banks, building societies, estate agencies and betting offices. The approval also required that buildings should cover no more than 25% of the business park. - 3.2 The Business Park has existing occupants including Royal London 360 mutual life insurance which sits on the corner of the Business Park and Cooil Road, Manx Telecom who have a corporate headquarters and operating centre, the MEA who have similar accommodation as well as Canada Life. There are also training facilities, vehicle repair and servicing, parcel distribution facilities within the park. - 3.3 Business Parks are defined in the Strategic Plan as "development encompassing land for light industrial purposes, warehousing, new-technology companies involved in scientific, commercial, or industrial research or development and office accommodation as the corporate headquarters of companies having multiple and diverse interests (but excluding financial/professional services to visiting members of the public); buildings should be set in parkland which should dominate the landscape." - 3.4 The Strategic Plan requires that business park uses are provided with car parking at a ratio of 1 space per 15 sq m nett of floorspace. - 3.5 The Strategic Plan also makes provision for the safeguarding of overhead electricity services:

Energy Policy 2 states: "Land within 9m either side of an overhead High Tension power cable will be safeguarded from development."

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The existing offices on the site were approved under PA 93/01460/B with the additional car parking spaces to the north east being provided under PA 97/01909/B and a cycle/motorcycle shelter added under PA 02/01932/B. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Manx Utilities initially objected to the application as there is a High Voltage cable in the area of this planning application: the proposed position of the car park deck will be over this cable. They require that the applicant contacts our Network Operations Department, Manx Utilities Authority, (T:

687687) to discuss working practices around cables which may be required to be diverted before any work can be carried out on site (29.03.16). They later confirm that they have no objection (27.05.16).

5.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services raise no objection subject to the imposition of the following condition: 1. Car parking and manoeuvring areas shall be provided and remain free from obstruction. Reason: In the interest of highway safety (18.03.16). - 5.3 Braddan Parish Commissioners raise no objection to the application (22.03.16).

ASSESSMENT

6.1 The issue here is whether the proposed deck would have any adverse impact on the visual character and appearance of the surrounding area, whether it will be acceptable in highway safety terms and whether the impact on existing trees is considered acceptable.

6.2 The deck will be greatly screened from Cooil Road by existing vegetation and whilst it would be seen, particularly in winter months, it is not considered that the deck would have an adverse visual impact in this case. - 6.3 There is no suggestion that the development will be unacceptable in highway safety terms, in line with the advice provided by the highway authority. - 6.4 The proposal will result in the loss of trees which would be unlikely to be removed if the scheme were not proposed and the scheme has been the subject of discussion with Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Forestry Division. This is regrettable but no specific objection has been raised by DEFA in respect of this although they would prefer that additional planting is introduced. Whilst additional planting could be introduced, this would be at the expense of a number of parking spaces and given the amount of trees to be retained and the need to accommodate all the vehicles associated with the use within the site, it is not considered that the scheme should be refused for the absence of the introduction of additional trees. - 6.5 The scheme is considered to be acceptable and is recommended for approval subject to the condition recommended by Department of Infrastructure Highway Services.

PARTY STATUS

7.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;

• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material, in this case Manx Utilities Authority and Department of Infrastructure Highway Services and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is part of the same Department as is the planning authority and as such the Forestry Division should not be afforded interested person status under the Order.

With effect from 1 June 2015, the Transfer of Planning & Building Control Functions Order 2015 amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 to give effect to the meaning of the word 'Department' to be the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture unless otherwise directed by that Order.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 27.05.2016 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 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

• C 2. The car parking and manoeuvring areas shall be provided as shown in the approved drawings and remain free from obstruction thereafter. Reason: In the interest of highway safety
• C 3. Prior to the commencement of any other work, the tree protection measures as shown in drawing 1 Rev 2 - Tree Protection Plan, must be in place and remain as such until the completion of the building work with no excavation, building or storage undertaken with the protected areas. Reason: To protect the trees to be retained from damage during the construction process.

This decision relates to drawings 01, 02, 03A, 04A, 1 Rev 2 - Tree Constraints Plan, 1 Rev 2 - Tree Crown Spreads and Root Protection Areas, 1 Rev 2 Tree Protection Plan, 200, 300A, all received on 8th March, 2016.

I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Senior Planning Officer in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 03.06.2016 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer

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