Officer Report

Application No.: 17/00504/B Applicant: Mr & Mrs David Hudson Proposal: Alterations and extensions to existing dwelling Site Address: Langdale Gansey Port St. Mary Isle of Man IM9 5LA Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken: 18.05.2017 Site Visit: 18.05.2017 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of a detached dormer bungalow, 'Langdale', which has a T-shaped floorplan and is located at the far eastern edge of Gansey, near Port St. Mary. - 1.2 The dwelling has been much-altered since its original construction and has limited architectural merit as a result but perhaps also owing much to its original design, which provided a mixture of gable walls and hipped roofs across an irregularly shaped floorplan and limited elevational differentiation. It is visible in certain places on the footpath running through Gansey, but the robust bank, vegetation, walling and gates prevent it from being in any way prominent. Perhaps the clearest views of Langdale are from Port St. Mary's Promenade, albeit that it does form a part of the vista provided by dwellings, boundary treatment and trees with Gansey's Shore Road and the countryside visible beyond to the north / northeast. - 1.3 To the northeast are Gansey Point House and Gansey Point Cottage at a distance of roughly 38m corner-to-corner. These two houses sit lower than the application site and angled away from it, and are older, more attractive and readily visible from the footpath.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Full planning approval is sought for a number of alterations to the dwelling. In her covering letter, the agent states that:

"Unfortunately, in both their design and execution, the alterations have taken little consideration to the overall aesthetic or layout of the house. The existing layout consists of extensive, dark circulation spaces, the first floor rooms are invaded by the roof structure and there are a number of intrusive junctions throughout. The resultant property is not of architectural merit nor has the property been identified as having any particular historic importance."

2.2 The overall result of the changes is a full additional storey on the dwelling without altering its floorplan. Very little of the existing dwelling's elevations would remain unaltered, with significant alterations to the size, position and number of windows and doors throughout. The proposals comprise the removal of all hipped roofs and dormer windows, to be replaced with a variety of projecting gables and gable walls. The upper storey and gables would be clad in horizontally laid timber boarding. The roof pitches are of varying height and steepness of pitch.

2.3 Also proposed is a significant length of glazed balustrading along the footpath-facing boundary (roughly 37.5m) and the southwestern boundary (roughly 20m). This would appear to be proposed to replace existing planting along these boundaries, with the balustrading to be formed of frameless glazed panels according to the precedent image supplied on the submitted drawings. This it is explained would take advantage of the "fantastic views to the sea" in these directions; the glazing would be 0.9m above the adjacent ground level.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 As noted, the site has been the subject of a number of applications seeking approval for fairly minor and / or cosmetic alterations. Other than a proposed replacement of two windows with one in 2008 (PA 08/00317/B), all these applications were submitted in excess of fifteen years ago. All were approved but none - including that 2008 application - is considered material to the assessment of the current proposal.

4.0 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as Residential on the Area Plan for the South 2013; accordingly, General Policy 2 of the Strategic Plan applies:

"Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:

• (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;
• (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape;

• (f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks;
• (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality."

4.2 A close reading of the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012, in particular Class 16 of Schedule 1, suggests that the balustrading could not be erected without the benefit of a planning application.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 DoI's Highway Services stated the proposal had no highways implications on 02.06.2017. - 5.2 Port St. Mary Commissioners offered no objections to the application on 25.05.2017.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 As noted, the existing dwelling is of no particular architectural merit. The large number of piecemeal alterations has resulted in a disordered appearance, which means its current position behind large vegetated areas is welcome in reducing its visual impact. The question here, then, is whether or not the alterations here proposed to the dwelling would be acceptable in terms of design and privacy, and moreover whether or not allowing the dwelling to be more publicly visible is appropriate. - 6.2 It is considered that a proposal seeking approval for a replacement dwelling would allow a little more design freedom and moreover would remove some of the design constraints in terms of wall and window positions. The retained floorplan is such as to mean that the existing, somewhat disordered fenestration will be carried through into the dwelling as proposed to be altered. The northwest elevation, in particular, is quite bland and has limited order in its fenestration, even with the proposed timber boarding above ground level. However, the overall impact of the alterations is

• judged to be a positive one. The other elevations have a great deal more architectural coherence in terms of fenestration, and while the mixture of roof pitches is perhaps not ideal, the increased massing allows for a freer design approach than the rather squat bungalow that currently sits on the site.
• 6.3 In view of the above, it is concluded that the design approach is a welcome one, and would comply with part (b) of General Policy 2.
• 6.4 For these reasons, it is also concluded that the loss of planting to the footpath and installation of fairly extensive glass balustrading along the common boundary is judged acceptable. The dwelling as proposed to be altered, particularly the elevations prominent from the footpath, will be an improvement such that allowing it to be more visible from the footpath is acceptable. It will allow the dwelling to provide a more valuable contribution to the built development of the area than presently is the case.
• 6.5 The impact of the balustrading itself may bring a rather more domesticated appearance to this length of the footpath boundary but the removal of the vegetation that provides the current, somewhat softened, appearance could be removed without planning approval and there is clear an understandable desire on the part of the applicant to open up views to the sea. The dwelling can be seen at the moment, albeit in glimpses, while there are also walls, benches, meter boxes, areas of hardstanding and other dwellings nearby that together characterise the area as one with manmade interventions. Accordingly, the replacement of vegetation with the glazed balustrading is not concluded to have a harmful impact on the area. The use of very light-touch glazing is particularly welcomed in this regard by reducing the impact of the boundary treatment - walling or iron fencing, for example, would have a far less subtle impact and moreover would probably fail to provide the applicants with the views they seek.
• 6.6 While the dwelling would result in a large number of additional windows, the situation of Langdale relative to the other dwellings in the vicinity, which are also distant from it, it is judged that there would be no material impact on the living conditions of the Gansey Point dwellings.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION - 7.1 There have been some balances to strike in the assessment of the alterations proposed, but overall the scheme is judged to be acceptable when assessed against the relevant policies and, accordingly, the application is recommended for approval. A condition requiring the submission of further details regarding the exact type and specification of the timber cladding is recommended to ensure that as natural an approach as possible is taken. A similar condition in respect of the glass balustrading is suggested. Brochure details would likely suffice.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• o 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;
• o Highway Services of the Department of Infrastructure, and
• o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 06.06.2017

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. Prior to the installation of the approved timber cladding, details thereof shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Department.

Reason: In the interest of the character and appearance of the dwelling and the area in which it sits.

• C 3. Prior to the installation of the approved glazed balustrading, details thereof shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Department.

Reason: In the interest of the character and appearance of the dwelling and the area in which it sits.

The development hereby approved relates to the following drawings, all date-stamped as having been received 8th May 2017: X001, X002, X101, X201, X301, PL001, PL101, PL200, PL301 and PL302.

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: 08.06.2017 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer

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