DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00599/B Applicant: Mr John & Mrs Carole Hollis Proposal: Alterations and erection of first floor extension Site Address: Willowmead Ballaughton Meadows Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 1JG Planning Officer: Mr Nick Salt Photo Taken: 13.06.2019 Site Visit: 13.06.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 01.07.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 following plans and drawings, date stamped as received on 23rd May 2019:

• o 1805 - 000 Location Plan
• o 1805 - 001 Existing Plans, Sections & Elevations
• o 1805 - 002-C Proposed Roof Extension Plans, Sections & Elevations _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is the residential curtilage of a large split level bungalow with a lower ground floor in a cul-de-sac in Ballaughton Meadows, Douglas. The site is bounded by Tigh An Craubhan to the south and 4 Ballaughton meadows to the north, as well as the rear gardens of 2-

• 4 Ballaughton Villas on the Castletown Road. The cul-de-sac features a mix of architectural style, some properties are single/double storey split level, and some two storey houses.
• 1.2 The dwelling is accessed via a concrete driveway from the roundabout at the end of the cul-de-sac, which slopes downwards to the house. The rear of the dwelling also slopes downwards towards in the direction of Castletown Road.
• 1.3 The dwelling is relatively modern, with a tiled pitched roof and bungalow appearance to the front and a two storey appearance to the rear with a duo-pitch single storey extension and decking area with steps leading down into the garden. There is a built in garage with living area above. Finish is painted render, and windows are predominantly Georgian style casement uPVC. There is a single chimney stack. There are also a number of medium sized trees in the rear garden, with large mature trees on the boundary between the site and the Ballaughton Villas below.

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is a first floor extension on the dwelling, with a raising of the eaves level at the front by 1.9m and a ridge increase of 1.7m. The chimney would be raised in height to accommodate this, but would sit below the ridge to the rear. The rear first floor elevation would be set back from the rear ground floor elevation by approximately 2.2m, with the existing roof below as a lean-to connecting to the existing duo-pitch breakfast/sun lounge area. Overall the maximum height of the dwelling would increase by around 0.5 metres, above that of the two storey garage annex. - 2.2 The proposed extension would add an additional 56m2 of floor space. In terms of finish, 4 new velux windows would be added to the new first floor on the front elevation facing west, with no new windows on the rear elevation. There would be a single narrow window on the north side elevation from the proposed study room. The finish of the first floor extension would be cedar weatherboard cladding, with the roof to match that of the existing dwelling.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 There have been 4 previous applications for alterations to this dwelling, the first being 93/01145/B for a conservatory to the rear which was approved. - 3.2 A further extension was approved 00/00957/B followed by an application to replace the conservatory with an extension (14/01392/B) also approved. Most recently, approval was granted for the extension to decking at the rear of the property (15/00772/B).

4.0 PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The site is within an area zoned as Predominantly Residential use as per the Douglas Local Plan 1998 (South Map). - 4.2 General Policy 2 of the Isle of man Strategic Plan 2016 is key:

"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."

4.3 Paragraph 8.12.1 of the Strategic Plan (IOMSP) is also useful when it comes to assessing this application: "As a general policy, in built up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general."

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Douglas Borough Council have no objections to the proposal (14.06.19).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The key considerations in the assessment of this planning application are the visual impacts of the alterations and their potential effect on the neighbours. - 6.2 The potential impact of the extension on the neighbours

• 6.2.1 The Department has recently published its Residential Design Guidance (March 2019), which is not policy but is capable of being a material consideration in the assessment of planning applications as it sets out best practice approaches to residential development. The Guidance contains information around the typical considerations in terms of neighbour amenity and the impacts on it from householder extensions such as this one. This includes, overlooking (loss of privacy), overbearing (loss of outlook) and overshadowing (loss of light).
• 6.2.2 To the south, the extension would be considered to have little impact in terms of any of these three concerns as the extension would only be slightly visible above the existing garage first floor roofline around 25 metres from the closest elevation of Tigh An Craubhan. No additional windows are proposed wither to this side or to the rear, therefore overlooking to the south or rear would not increase. To the rear, whilst the site dwelling sits well above the Ballaughton Villas below, the separating distances are all over 20 metres - far enough so as to limit any potential overbearing or loss of light.
• 6.2.3 The addition first floor front windows would face towards the front garden of the site and that of Close Haven, but would not face directly into the corresponding habitable windows of any neighbouring dwelling. Impact on the dwellings to the front (east) would therefore be very limited.
• 6.2.4 With regard to No.4 to the north, the front elevation of that property is approximately 10 metres from the north side elevation of the site dwelling at the closest point. Partly due to this, the relatively minor increase in roof height, and the suns east-west movement, unacceptable levels of overshadowing are unlikely. The distance between the dwellings would be enough to reduce the risk of overbearing, but the proposed study window on the first floor side elevation could potentially overlook those windows on the front elevation of No.4. This risk would be reduced by the existing trees and planting on the site, and is not considered so significant as to justify a reason for refusal when taken in the wider context of the site and the proposal. Any minimal levels of overlooking are likely to be mutual.

6.3 The visual impact of the proposal

• 6.3.1 This consideration relates to General Policy 2 as per section 4 of this report, in that the test for the proposal is whether it respects the site and surroundings and whether it adversely affects the character of the street scene. The Residential Design Guidance also references the visual impact of householder extensions in section 3.1. 3.1.3/4 states that:

"The main design elements that should be considered include:

• o the relationship to the original part of the building - including materials, design and detailing (such as window materials and proportions);
• o the relationship with adjoining properties, including the building line, roof line, orientation, and the slope of the site; and
• o the pitch, shape and materials of the original roof, including the presence of original dormers and chimneys.

All extensions and alterations, particularly those incorporating modern design approaches, should be considered holistically with the original/main building and its setting in the landscape/townscape to avoid an awkward jarring of materials and forms. However, well-judged

modern designs using contemporary and sustainable materials will be welcomed, as the Department does not wish to restrict creative designs where they can be integrated successfully into their context."

Extensions should also fit with the existing house, and the wider street scene in terms of their form and design.

• 6.3.2 The impact of the building visually will likely increase as a result of the extension, and the addition of a first floor on the northern end of the house. The style and layout of the additional first floor fenestration would fit with the overall pattern of the front elevation and would provide some degree of balance when viewed from that perspective. The use of cladding on the elevations would also provide a visual break and reduce the impact somewhat. Overall, whilst the mass and presence of the building would increase, this is no considered to be to an extent which would be out of keeping with the cul-de-sac of the building itself. The dwelling is situated out of direct public view and not highly visible from any main public thoroughfare. Design wise, the modern extension would not be out of keeping with the existing dwelling. Any adverse visual impact in terms of the size of the building would not be sufficient as to warrant a reason for refusal.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 In summary, the proposed extension is in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 and is considered acceptable. It is therefore recommended for approval.

8.0 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 a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 02.07.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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