DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/01165/B Applicant: Mr John Cain Proposal: Extension of existing vehicular access and driveway Site Address: 27 Norwood Drive Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 5HN Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken: 02.12.2019 Site Visit: 02.12.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 16.12.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 drawing 1522.1A received on 4th December, 2019/ _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of an existing semi-detached house situated on the southern side of Norwood Drive near to its junction with Ballanard Road. The front garden is presently partly given over to hard surfacing in the form of a drive which leads up to the house. The existing vehicular access is 2.7m wide and the majority of the front garden is given over to grass with a number of trees, including three large palms which sit alongside the front wall, are within the site. The overall frontage is 9.4m wide. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the widening of the access to 5m and the covering over of all of the grass with paving - tarmacadam to match the existing driveway.

2.2 The scheme has been amended to reduce the area of hardstanding around the corner tree which is to be retained, to reduce the width of the opening to 4.2m and to clearly indicate that two trees will be removed. - 2.3 At the site visit it was clear that the tree currently closest to the entrance is dying with half of the trunk having disappeared and the remainder dry and dead-looking and with the beginnings of the same complaints appearing on the next tree along.

PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Douglas Local Plan of 1989 and the draft Area Plan for the East as predominantly residential.

3.2 As such, the appropriate Strategic Plan policy is General Policy 2 below:

General Policy 2: 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;
• (h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;
• (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways and
• (j) can be provided with all necessary services".

3.3 Also, the Department introduced new guidance which provides advice on new residential development including extensions and alterations to accesses, as follows: "6.3 DRIVEWAYSAND FRONT GARDENS

• 6.3.1 Front gardens provide an important physical boundary between a dwelling and the public realm. They can enhance the privacy of a dwelling, as well as filtering out the noise and air pollutants produced by pedestrians and motorised traffic. Front gardens with perimeter walls, hedges or fences can offer safer spaces in which children can play and they often contribute to the natural habitat of wildlife. Urban green space has a positive effect on health and wellbeing, by enhancing sensory and aesthetic awareness.
• 6.3.2 Increased car ownership and the resultant increase in demand for parking spaces has led to congested roads and has prompted many households to consider transforming their front gardens into a hardstanding to provide off-street car parking. Using good design and a little imagination it is possible to combine parking provision with an attractive and welcoming front garden. It should be noted that for properties within Conservation Areas, in particular terraces, the creation of new access/openings may unacceptably disrupt the rhythm, appearance and character of the existing street scene/Conservation Area and is unlikely to be supported. In such areas, parking to the rear may be a more acceptable option.
• 6.3.3 It should be acknowledged that car parking in front gardens does not necessarily increase the overall amount of car-parking capacity within an area. The creation of an off-street space normally requires the provision of a new access, which can result in the loss of at least one onstreet parking space. Proposals which do not result in a net benefit are unlikely to be supported.
• 6.3.4 Proposals which result in the loss of more than 50% of the existing front lawned/landscaped garden will not normally be supported, to ensure the character of the street scape is retained and

avoid frontages of properties appearing as one large car parking area, detrimental to the appearance of the street scene and to the outlook of residents. It is important that the design of a driveway maintains a balance between hard and soft landscaping and contributes positively to the street scene. Proposals are unlikely to be supported where they do not meet the following guidelines:

• o the area intended for the driveway should be the minimum space necessary (see the Manual for Manx Roads);
• o where possible, the impact of the driveway is lessened by retaining mature trees and shrubs and/or creating areas of new planting (for example, a planted strip or hedge between the vehicular and pedestrian access can help to break-up the appearance of the hardstanding whilst planting around the fringes of the driveway can also be used to good effect and may be used to help screen the vehicle);
• o if an opening is made in an existing wall, fence or other boundary feature, the ends should be made good with matching or sympathetic materials (i.e. pillars);
• o where possible, separate pedestrian access should be retained/provided (existing gates should normally be retained and any new gates should not open out over the highway);
• o any new gates, walls, fences or other boundary features should reflect the traditional style of the local area;
• o consideration should be given to a strip of grass or gravel placed in the centre of the hardstanding can hide leaked oil and maintain the look of a front garden; and
• o parking spaces should be avoided directly in front of any Primary Window as the resulting
• outlook can be undermined by the presence of parked cars.

• 6.3.5 The cumulative impact of the creation of a large number of impermeable surfaces within an area can lead to a material increase in run-off during rainfall events, potentially causing localised flooding. Therefore, proposals are unlikely to be supported unless they adopt one or more of the following approaches:

• o utilising an existing green or gravel area;
• o guiding water away from any impermeable area towards a vegetated area, or soakaway; and/or
• o constructing a driveway from block paving or other permeable surface (i.e. loose gravel and resin bound gravel (prevents gravel spilling onto highway) or matrix pavers or cellular paving or brick pavers or permeable bitmac).

• 6.3.6 If, following the installation of a driveway or parking area, there are disputes between neighbouring properties in relation to drainage matters this will normally be regarded as a civil matter.
• 6.3.7 Consideration needs to be given to the movement of people and vehicles entering and leaving the driveway/access. The following advice should be considered:

• o to allow good visibility splays for cars leaving the driveway, vegetation or other features such as gates, pillars and walls should not be over 1m high within the required visibility splay (See Manual for Manx Roads to determine required visibility splay); and
• o cars should not overhang the pavement, should not block the entrance to the dwelling and a clear pathway should be provided at the entrance to the dwelling.

• 6.3.8 It is an offence under the Highways Act 1986 to carry out any works (i.e. creation of a new access, altering an existing access and dropping a kerb etc) within the public highway without permission of the Department of Infrastructure and no construction work affecting the highway can commence until a Section 109A Agreement (separate from a planning application - without this agreement the works approved by the planning application cannot be carried out) has been signed."

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 07/02035/B approved the creation of off-road parking for number 13.

• REPRESENTATIONS
• 5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection to the application (14.11. 19).

5.2 Highway Services do not object to the application (06.12.19). ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issue here is whether the wider access and hardstanding would have an adverse impact on the character and appearance of the area, having regard to the guidance in the RDG.

6.2 The amended scheme would retain half the frontage as walled with sufficient space to protect the root system of the tree to be retained. The loss of the palms is not considered to be detrimental and this has been confirmed verbally as acceptable by the DEFA Arboricultural Officer.

6.3 The additional hard standing will enable greater accessibility by elderly users of the driveway with no adverse impact on highway safety. CONCLUSION - 7.1 The scheme is considered to accord with the relevant policies and is supported. 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 : 18.12.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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