Why Was This Refused?
- ✓Removal of eight existing trees harmful to street scene and public amenity
- ✓Presumption against tree removal in the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan
- ✓Insufficient car parking provision for six dwellings
- ✓New Road is a main coastal route where on-street parking would create highway safety risks
- ✓Amended drawings submitted but did not resolve the planning concerns
- ✓trees
- ✓amenity
- ✓parking
- ✓highways
This application sought permission to demolish the New Inn public house on New Road in Laxey and replace it with six new dwellings with associated parking. The site includes the pub building, an area of hardstanding used for parking, and a vegetated area containing a number of trees. The application was refused by a Senior Planning Officer acting under delegated authority. Two clear reasons were given: the loss of eight trees that provide a green and pleasant character to the street scene, and a failure to meet the required car parking standards for the number of dwellings proposed.
The application was refused on two grounds. First, the scheme required the removal of eight trees that contribute positively to the street scene and local amenity, which conflicts with the general presumption against tree removal in the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan. Second, the proposal did not provide enough car parking spaces, and relaxing that standard was considered inappropriate given that New Road is the main coastal route through Laxey, where additional on-street parking pressure would harm highway safety.
Site Observations
- •The application site comprises the curtilage of the New Inn public house located on the western side of New Road in Laxey.
- •The site contains the public house building, an adjacent area of hardstanding providing car parking space and an undeveloped vegetated area that contains a number of trees.
- •Levels across the application site increase significantly from east to west
Refusal Reasons
- ✕The proposed development entails the removal of eight existing trees. The Laxey and Lonan Area Plan Order 2005 sets out a general presumption against the removal of trees within the plan area, including instances where this is proposed in order to facilitate development. These existing trees provide a pleasant green environment that is beneficial to the amenity of the street scene and overall area. As such, the loss of these trees would have an unacceptable adverse impact on public amenity and be contrary to the provisions of Policy L/OSNC/PR/6 of the Laxey and Lonan Area Plan Order 2005.
- ✕The proposed development fails to meet car parking requirements defined by Appendix 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007. Whilst car parking requirements may be relaxed in certain instances it is inappropriate to do so in this location as a failure to meet car parking standards will increase pressure on, and the likelihood of, on-road parking which would be harmful to highway safety in this location, especially as New Road is the main road and main coastal route through Laxey. As such, the proposal is contrary to the provisions of the General Policy 2 and Transport Policy 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007.
