DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00194/B Applicant: Adele Towns Proposal: Alterations including widening of access, demolition of conservatory, garage and out buildings and erection of portico and single storey extension (in association with 19/00195/CON) Site Address: Kent Lodge Little Switzerland Douglas Isle of Man IM2 6AE 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: 12.04.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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. All external alterations to the building including window types, roof-lights, patio door, rear/side extension and portico shall be in accordance with those indicted in the approved drawing 18/43/02. All work of making good 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 Little Switzerland Conservation Area.

Plans/Drawings/Information: This decision relates to the following plans, documents and drawings: Survey Drawing 18/43/01 and Project Drawing 18/43/02 date stamped as received on 27th February 2019. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE APPLICATION SITE - 1.1 The site consists of a substantial early 20th Century two storey detached dwelling located on the junction of Little Switzerland with Victoria Road dwelling within the Little Switzerland Conservation Area characterised by similar substantial dwellings. The character and presence of this group of individually designed chalet villa dwellings are emphasized by shared features such as large curtilages with boundary walls with mature garden and tree planting

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 Partly retrospective with some preliminary works already commenced on the site, this application has a number of elements. These are;

• o The replacement of the centrally positioned porch conservatory to the entrance with a stone portico with concrete profiles to match;
• o The garage positioned on the rear elevation removed together with utility additions to be replaced by a single storey flat roof extension with upper level obscure glazing facing over the boundary onto the dwelling at Holly Bank and, adjoining a flat roof side elevation extension with roof-lights to be located within the rear/side yard;
• o A single ground floor window to the side elevation facing onto Victoria Road replaced with a pair of uPVC patio doors;
• o Existing mainly timber sash opening windows on all elevations to be replaced with upvc white wood grain finish sash windows with Georgian bars and run through sash horns
• o External finishes to the rear/side extension would be rendered walls to match the existing main building with a glass fibre roof and roof lanterns installed.
• o Widening of the vehicular access over an existing crossover onto the highway from the front elevation onto Little Switzerland from 2m to 4m in width. The existing drive with crossover from Victoria Road would be widened to accommodate this.

- 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 None recorded - 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 mentioned, the site lies within Little Switzerland 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 a 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. - 4.8 Windows not readily visible from a public thoroughfare must have the same or similar pattern of glazing bars as the originals but not necessarily the original method of opening whatever the material used in construction. - 4.9 In respect of pre-1921 buildings within an urban setting Policy guidance advises that individual buildings or groups of buildings whose principle elevations are readily visible from a public thoroughfare , it the original windows are in place, it may be possible to repair and renovate them. If repair is impracticable the preference would be for replacement windows in principle elevations to have the same method of opening as the originals. Whatever the materials used in their construction, the windows must have the same or similar pattern of glazing bars or frame sections as the original windows.

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Highway Services: No observations received

5.2 Douglas Borough Council received 18/03/2019 - No objection - 5.3 Registered Buildings Officer- No observations received - 5.4 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 as set out in this report.

6.2 With regard to the building itself, as indicated on the submitted drawings, the chalet villa style are a defining feature of all elevations of this corner dwelling and is indeed reflected in the overall character of Little Switzerland were it is located - 6.3 Alterations to the side and rear of the building would result in the demolition of the garage and replacement of existing utility buildings and use of the side yard with conjoined single storey flat roof wrap around to form a residential extension that would improve the

• architectural character and appearance of this part of the dwelling not readily visible from the street. The view from the dwelling at Holly Bank would be enclosed by an existing 1.8m high stone wall and intervening garage on their side and not be visible from this dwelling. Though the extension would be visible from Kantara, the structure would replace an existing single storey utility area of similar size and massing and windows to be installed would consist of upper level casements obscure glazed. Overall, this part of the development would maintain both the residential amenities of neighbouring occupants and the character and setting of this mainly non-public part of the building within the conservation area in compliance with the requirements of General Policy 2.
• 6.4 The replacement of a single 16 pane sash window located on the side corner elevation facing onto Victoria Road with a set of patio doors of similar width would have maintain the lines of the building at ground floor level without detriment to its character and be screened from the wider street view by the intervening 1.8m high boundary wall with high hedge. On balance, the character and setting of this already well screened part of the building within the conservation area would be maintained and enhanced in compliance with the requirements of General Policy 2.
• 6.5 The development proposes widening the vehicular access onto Little Switzerland to a width of 4m over an area of an existing vehicular cross-over onto the highway. This would comply with 'Manual for Manx Roads' design standards, and would allow for sufficient pedestrian access to the dwelling front door. However, a new vehicular crossing with widened dropped kerbs to the highway agreement would be required. The vehicular access to side gates onto Victoria Road would remain as before.
• 6.6 Existing mainly timber framed fenestration on all main elevations to this building would be replaced with upvc sash windows with Georgian bars, run-through sash bars and horns in a white wood grain finish, with the white upvc patio doors to be installed on the side in a similar finish.
• 6.7 The existing timber windows are now of some age and in too poor a condition to benefit from any effective repair. The replacement windows, with the exception of the single ground floor window facing onto Victoria Road that will be converted to accept a set of patio doors, would occupy existing window openings, be of a sash window type with run though glazing bars and matching sash horns that closely matches in terms of form, detail and appearance the windows that they would replace. In this respect, the replacement windows would 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.
• 6.8 A small but prominent conservatory enclosing the main entrance to the house that faces onto Little Switzerland would be removed and replaced with an open two stone pillars with flat roof concrete portico to match. This would remove an arguably anachronistic enclosed conservatory structure and replace with an entrance that is more architecturally consistent with the character of the building. In this respect, this part of the proposal would serve to improve character and setting of the building within the conservation area in compliance with the requirements of General Policy 2.

- 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 corner location within the Little Switzerland Conservation Area would, on balance, result in a series of material improvements to the building itself that would serve to enhance its character within the setting of the local street scene in this part of the conservation area 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 the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 12.04.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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