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Department of Planning DEFA Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2SF
9th August 2018.
Dear Sirs,
Re: Proposed demolition of an existing house and development of a residential estate consisting of 16 homes, including associated onsite infrastructure and landscaping works, and offsite highway upgrade works, Farm Hill Lane, Farm Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man.
The following information is provided in support of this planning application.
This information should be read together with the following documents;
The site is part of what remains of the zoned land from the Douglas Local Plan 1998, most of which has been developed out. It is zoned for residential use so it's development complies with the relevant planning policy. It is in a very sustainable location, set within a residential area with a school, shops, parks and access to public transport links close by, all of which can be access on foot.
The proposed development will be of high quality design and construction, in keeping with Hartford Homes usual standards, and the range of houses will include affordable homes. The design of the houses will share a pallet of materials similar to existing properties close by.
Overall, the proposed development will add much needed family homes for the Douglas area, on land which is zoned for residential development.
The site is the grounds of a residential property called Annacur House, and has a total site area of $6,250 \mathrm{sqm} / 1.54$ acres.
The existing house and out buildings have been empty for some time and have little architectural merit, having been unsympathetically extended and altered in the past;
The site slopes from the western corner down to the eastern corner, with an overall 7 m difference in levels.
There is a line of mature trees on the south western boundary of the site, adjacent Farm Hill Lane. The trees are of varying quality and a Tree Survey has been carried out, to inform the design, and is included as part of the planning application package.
The north western boundary of the site abuts the grounds and garden of Farm Hill Cottage and Bix House.
The north eastern and south eastern boundary of the site abuts a residential development called Lheannag Park.
The site is accessed off the south eastern end of Farm Hill Lane, which is access off Annacur Lane; {{image:219229}}
Farm Hill Lane has an established right of way and is used by vehicles and pedestrians to access the residential area to the west of the proposed site.
The current site entrance is marked by a rendered wall and gate pillars;
The properties in Lheannag Park are brick faced with pitched tiled roofs;
Woodlands View is a development to the south of the proposed site and the houses on that development uses a mix of brick and render;
The site is well located for local services with a school, shops and parks very close by and public transport is available on Annacur lane.
The land is zoned for residential development in the Douglas Local Plan 1998 and is also proposed to be zoned in the Draft Area Plan for the East, issued in May 2018 (site DHO16).
The proposed development will involve the demolition of the existing house and out buildings and the construction of 16 homes, plus associated onsite infrastructure and landscaping works.
The 16 new homes will include 12no. 4 bed homes with integral garages and 4no. 2 bed affordable homes. All properties will be provided with two off road car parking spaces.
The proposed site access will remain off Farm Hill Lane, in approximately the same position as the existing site access, but adjusted to provide the required visibility splay.
The houses will be serviced off a site road which incorporate turning heads that will allow for refuse and delivery vehicles to turn. The site road will be a shared surface, which will help traffic calming and reduce vehicle speeds.
All properties will be provided with 2 off road car parking spaces, with 12no. of the properties also having garages. The size of car parking spaces with comply with the standards set out in the Manual for Manx Roads.
There will also be 4no. visitor car parking spaces provided.
The design of the proposed houses includes the use of facing brickwork, painted rendered walls and pitched roofs, generally in keeping with the houses in the area;
Manx Roots have carried out a tree survey, included as part of the application package, and provided advice on works to be carried out on the existing trees. The site layout has also been informed by discussions with Andrew Igoea of DEFA and Chris Balmer of the planning department.
The proposed development requires the removal of 2no. category 'U' trees, to allow the existing site entrance to be formed. A further category 'U' tree (no.15) is also to be removed, as recommended by Manx Roots and the remaining trees are to be sympathetically pruned to increase light penetration and reduce congestion in the group.
The tree next to Plot 1 is proposed to be pruned, but Mr Igoea has advised that the tree can be removed, subject to agreement with Douglas Borough Council, as this will also benefit the environmental conditions for the existing properties within Lheannag Park.
The proposed development includes the planting of a significant number of new trees and shrubs, to soften the streetscape, as detailed on the proposed site plan and Mr Iqoea has requested that trees should be larger species. As the Douglas Borough Council will be asked to adopt the public open space areas, they will be consulted in the choice of trees and shrubs to be planted.
A wide strip of landscaping will be retained at the front of the site, directly under and next to the existing trees, and this will be designated as Public Open Space. This will maintain the rural appearance of the lane and provide a green buffer between the lane and the new houses. A public footpath will be formed to run from the western corner of the site, through the area of open space and link into the site road.
Roads and driveways will be formed in contrasting colour block paviors and the modular scale of the paviors will help provide a residential setting for the development.
The section of Farm Hill Lane directly in front of the site entrance and the section of road between the eastern end of Farm Hill Lane and its junction with Anacure Lane, will be upgraded and offered for adoption by the Department of Infrastructure.
The development also proposes a new section of pavement to provide a pedestrian link from the front of the site to a crossing point close to The Heron Public House, as indicated on the application drawing. This will provide a safe pedestrian route to local services for residents of both the proposed development and also from Lheannag Park.
In addition to the upgrading of the current site vehicular access, a new pedestrian access will be created into Lheannag Park on the south eastern boundary. This pedestrian link provides a more direct access to Ballaughton Manor Park.
iTransport have assessed the proposed scheme and their report is included as part of the planning application package.
All required services are available within Farm Hill Lane to service the site.
The MUA have been consulted with regards to drainage provisions and the following have been agreed with Mr Ian Wade;
4no. of the 16no. homes will be affordable, which equates to 25%, and complies with the Isle of Man Strategic Plan, Housing Policy 5.
We have consulted with Brett Woods of the DoI Housing Division and he has offered his support for these proposals,
which can be secured by entering into a Section 13 agreement.
All the homes will be provided with private gardens and the site will include well landscaped public open space. Whilst the site includes generous public open space, there will be a small shortfall, if calculated by the method identified in the IOMSP. The IOMSP, Appendix 6, provides the following guidance for the provision of Open Space in residential developments; A.6.4.2 Table 1 is used to judge the occupancy of dwellings and the subsequent open space requirement in square metres.
Table 1
For the proposed 16no. homes, the Required area of Public Open Space is 1408sqm, based on the following calculation; {{table:432414}} The proposed area of Public Open Space is 1028sqm, as indicated hatched on the attached drawing;
| No. of Homes | No. of Beds | Formal | Play | Amenity | Total Rqd (Sq.m.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 144 | 48 | 64 | 256 |
| 12 | 3 or More | 648 | 216 | 288 | 1152 |
| 792 | 264 | 352 | 1408sqm |
Douglas Borough Council have been fully consulted on the provision of Public Open Space and they have agreed to adopt the area of proposed POS. They have also calculated a commuted sum of £17,952 to address the shortfall, which can be secured by entering into a Section 13 agreement as part of the planning approval.
It is worth noting that Ballaughton Manor Park, which is a very large area of public open space is within 100m walk from the proposed site.
The following points are relevant to this application;
The site is part of what remains of the zoned land from the Douglas Local Plan 1998, most of which has been developed out. It is zoned for residential use so it's development will comply with planning policy. It is in a very sustainable location, set within a residential area with a school, shops, parks and access to public transport links close by, all of which can be access on foot.
Access to the site will be improved for both vehicles and pedestrians with the upgrading of the access road and by the creation of additional sections of footpaths.
The proposed development will be of high quality design and construction, in keeping with Hartford Homes usual standards, and the range of houses will include affordable homes. The design of the houses will share a pallet of materials similar to existing properties close by.
Overall, the proposed development will add much needed family homes for the Douglas area, on land which is zoned for residential development.
We trust the above and enclosed information provides sufficient information for this application to be considered but should you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact our offices.
Yours faithfully
For and on behalf of Hartford Ltd.
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