DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00304/B Applicant: Mr Kieth & Mrs Gillian Miller Proposal: Installation of a flue Site Address: 28 Hilltop Rise Douglas Isle of Man IM2 2LG Senior Planning Officer: Mr Thomas O'Connor Photo Taken: 17.04.2019 Site Visit: 17.04.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 02.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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.

Plans/Drawings/Information:

This decision relates to the Site Plan, Location Plan and Existing/Proposed Plan & Elevation Drawing submitted to the Department, and date stamped 18th March 2019.

_______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site consists of a two storey dormer bungalow with front and rear curtilage located within a modern estate of similar dwellings. The site is not within a conservation area.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks to erect a 1.5m high by 200mm diameter black flue site through the front roof just above eaves level to serve a wood burner stove.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 None recent.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The Douglas Local Plan 1998- Designated as Predominantly Residential Use. - 4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application: - 4.3 General Policy 2 states: "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; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality;

4.4 Residential Design Guidance March 2019 - In respect of flues for wood burning stoves such as that proposed, this guidance advises that the Department is broadly supportive of these. Consideration should however be given to their placement, height, size and finish, as the main issue is likely to be the visual appearance of them and whether they would fit with the existing property and the street scene as a whole.

Tall and/or prominent flues which have a detrimental impact to a property and/or street scene are unlikely to be supported. Where a flue may have an unacceptable detrimental impact, it may be possible to mitigate the impact by: colouring the flue to blend in with the existing colour of the wall the flue may adjoin (or a dark colour when the flue sits within a roof) encasing the flue so that it appears as a chimney; incorporating the flue within the existing or new chimney stacks.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services, No observations received - 5.2 Douglas Borough Council, No observations received - 5.3 Neighbours: No observations received

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main issues to consider in the assessment of this planning application are;

• o Any impacts in respect to alterations on the street scene.
• o The impacts of the proposal on the residential amenities of neighbours,

6.2 The 2019 Residential Design Guidance recognises that flues for wood burners are becoming an increasingly common occurrence and advises that consideration be given to their placement, height, size and finish, as the main issue is likely to be their visual appearance and whether they would fit with the existing property and the street scene as a whole. - 6.3 Other than the installation of the flue there are no other physical alterations to the building proposed. The flue would be located below the ridge line of the roof and be of a dark colour. Overall, it would consist of a minor alteration to the front elevation of the dwelling that would not have any discernible impact upon the character of the dwelling, the local street scene or the residential amenities of neighbours.

6.4 It should be noted that although, in itself, Permitted Development and already in place, a side kitchen door is already in place on the south east gable elevation of the house. For the record, this is however, not shown on the existing elevation drawing but included as information in both the proposed gable elevation and ground floor plan submitted. - 6.5 Overall, it is concluded that the planning application is in accordance with General Policy

• 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

• 7. RECOMMENDATION That planning permission be granted’ INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
• 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 Article 6(4), 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
• (d) Highway Services Division of Department of Infrastructure and
• (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated. 8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed in Article 6(4) who should be given Interested Person Status.

I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 17.05.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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