DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00219/B Applicant: Miss Susan Gee Proposal: Installation of replacement windows, door and fascias / guttering to front elevation Site Address: 7 Summerhill Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4PG Senior Planning Officer: Mr Thomas O'Connor Photo Taken: 21.03.2019 Site Visit: 21.03.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 16.04.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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.

• C 2. Windows and doors to be installed shall be in accordance with those indicted in the approved drawing Quote No. DG1051 from Douglas Glazing Ltd submitted in support of this application. All work of making good to the fabric of the building, where necessary, shall be finished to match exactly the existing building fabric in respect of type, size, colour, bond, pointing, coursing, jointing, profile and texture.

Reason: In the interests of maintaining and enhancing the character and appearance of the site located within The Promenades Conservation Area.

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following plans, documents and drawings: Location Plan; Site Plan; Quote DG1051 from Douglas Glazing Ltd indicating details of replacement windows and door; Annotated photograph indicating changes to windows. Date stamped as received on 26th February 2019 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The site consists of a three storey 19th century town house dwelling within a terrace of similar located within the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area. The external wall finish is of a pebble dash render with a modern hipped porch on the ground floor of the front elevation containing a bay window and entrance to the property. All fenestration and the door to the front are constructed of white upvc with the windows of a casement type to the upper floors and the ground floor side openings to the bay window. False glazing bars are used and; the central window to the ground floor bay is a fixed unit with top opening casements to the side. Guttering and rainwater goods are all in white upvc. - 1.2 The site, in common with others in the terrace, has a small front curtilage enclosed by a 1m high (approx.) rendered low stone wall with coping with a pedestrian entrance from the street between rendered stone pillars some 1200mm tall. There are no vehicular openings within this group of terrace buildings

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 This application seeks to replace the existing upvc fenestration which features false glazing bars and guttering at the eaves located on the front elevation of the building with the following:

• o Ground Floor: fixed central pane to bay with side opening casements all in a clear glass;
• o First Floor: two top opening casement windows in clear glass
• o Second floor: Three top opening casement windows in clear glass
• o Replacement fascia and guttering to be in a white upvc.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 00/01662/B - installation of uPVC replacement windows - permitted. - 4.0 PLANNING POLICY

4.1 The site is in an area designated as Predominantly Residential use in the Douglas Local Plan 1998. As previously indicated, the site lies within Douglas Promenade Conservation Area.

4.2 As the site is within an area zoned for development the key policies relevant to this proposal is contained within The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, specifically: - 4.3 Strategic Policy 4, which states (in part) that; "Proposals for development must:

• (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest."

4.4 General Policy 2 (Development in accordance with the land-use zoning); "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."

4.5 As the site is within Douglas Promenades Conservation Area, Environment Policy 35 (preservation of conservation areas) is relevant; "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

4.6 It is also important to consider guidance and policy regarding development in Conservation Areas: Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man) - Policy CA/2, (Conservation Areas); "When considering proposals for the possible development of any land or buildings which fall within the conservation area, the impact of such proposals upon the special character of the area will be a material consideration when assessing the application." - 4.7 Also relevant to this application is guidance contained in Planning Circular 1/98 - 'The Alteration and Replacement of Windows'. In respect of buildings in conservation areas the standing policy advice is that original windows should preferably be repaired. If impracticable, replacement windows which would be readily visible from a public thoroughfare must have the same method of opening as the originals. Whatever the material used in their construction, the windows must have the same pattern and section of glazing bars as the original windows.

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Highway Services: received 19/03/2019. No highways interest. 5.2 Douglas Borough Council received 22/03/2019 No objection. 5.3 Neighbours: No observations received. - 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The key consideration is the protection of the character, and appearance of the building and an assessment of the proposed development in respect of maintaining & enhancing the integrity & character and setting of the surrounding Conservation Area in line with the relevant policies in the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and Planning Circular 1/98.

6.2 As can be seen from the planning history, the windows to the front elevation had previously been replaced with poor quality upvc units in year 2000 (00/01662/B) and are now therefore an established visual feature to the front of this building. In addition to this, neighbouring dwellings within the terrace all utilise white upvc windows on their front elevation with No.6 utilising casement designs with false glazing panels and No.8 utilising clear glazing panels. - 6.3 Guidance contained in Planning Circular 1/98 in respect of the alteration and replacement of windows to buildings in conservation areas advises that original windows should preferably be repaired. This is clearly impracticable in this case as upvc windows have been in place on the front elevation of this house readily visible from a public thoroughfare since the year 2000. As already stated the current windows are of poor quality in terms of their design and would only succeed in matching the originals in terms of occupying the original openings. The pattern and sections of the original windows are now unknown with the current windows having section and glazing bars stuck in, not part of the fabric of the frames reflecting a poor quality of design and build. - 6.4 Though it would be desirable in principle to have a type of window that in terms of pattern, opening and design would reflect the original this would now be clearly impracticable on the upper floors. The preference would therefore be for replacement windows to demonstrate a material improvement in respect of what is already there. - 6.5 Utilising the same window openings, the proposed windows would be clear glazed, similar to those installed next door at No.8 and retain the now existing top opening design on the upper floors. The centrally positioned main bay window on the ground floor would be a fixed unit with clear glazed casements on either side. - 6.6 The replacement windows would maintain the lines of the building at ground floor level and upper storey level to the front elevation and arguably be an improvement in terms of design and quality to what is there (and previously approved) now. There is a clear benefit in restoring

• the half and half subdivision of the windows on the first and second floors which would more closely resemble the sliding sashes which would have undoubtedly been the original window style. On balance, the character and setting of this already compromised main public elevation of the building would benefit from enhancement and improvement proposed to the benefit of the setting of the conservation area which would be maintained and enhanced in compliance with the requirements of General Policy 2.
• 6.7 In terms of form, detail and appearance compared to the windows that they would replace, the replacement windows would be a distinct improvement in terms of quality and design and comply with guidance contained in Planning Circular 1/98 in respect of replacement of windows to buildings within a conservation area where the existing timber windows are no longer suitable for repair.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 Strategic Policy 4 and Environmental Policy 35 sets out the test for development in Conservation Areas in that it must 'preserve or enhance' the Conservation Area. The proposed alterations to this building occupying a prominent location within the Douglas Promenade Conservation Area would, on balance, result in a series of material improvements to the building that would serve to enhance its character within the setting of the local street scene and therefore meet these tests set by of General Policy 2 and Strategic Policy 4 and Environmental Policy 35. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSONS 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: 24.04.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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