DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00247/B Applicant: Mr Simon & Mrs Charlotte Nicol Proposal: Alterations and erection of extension Site Address: Cronk View 45 Ballanard Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 5HB Planning Officer: Mr Owen Gore Photo Taken: 04.04.2019 Site Visit: 04.04.2019 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 14.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 facing and roofing materials to be used in the development, hereby approved, shall match those of the existing building where appropriate, in respect of their type, colour and finish.

Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

• C 3. The development hereby approved shall be implemented in accordance with the recommendations of the Tree Report, prepared by Douglas Chalk and submitted in support of the application on 4th March 2019, including the installation of protective measures which shall be installed in the precise location, to the specification and maintained for the duration recommended by the report.

Reason: To ensure that the sweet chestnut tree, located in the neighbouring garden, is adequately protected during construction in the interests of maintaining the amenities of the area and protecting a tree owned by a neighbouring property.

• C 4. Prior to the commencement of the development hereby approved a pre-commencement meeting shall take place at which the applicant, the appointed contractor (if any) and a representative from the Department are all present. A record of the points raised and actions

agreed at this meeting shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Department prior to commencement.

Reason: To clarify the protective measures and construction methods required to protect the retained sweet chestnut, reducing the potential for tree report to be misinterpreted or misunderstood and for approved the approved development to have adverse consequences on the health and longevity of the retained tree.

• C 5. The extension hereby approved shall not be occupied at any time other than for purposes incidental to the residential use of the dwelling at 45 Ballanard Road or known as Cronk View and shall not be occupied as an independent dwelling unit.

Reason: To ensure proper control of the development and to avoid any future undesirable fragmentation of the curtilage.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This planning permission relates to the following plans and documents: Location Plan

• Drawing No.14353.1 - Existing arrangement
• Drawing No.14353.2 - Existing arrangement
• Drawing No.14353.3 - As Proposed Tree Report including Tree Protection Plan and details Date-stamped as having been received 04 March 2019 _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 SITE - 1.1 The application site is a large, semi-detached dwellinghouse on Ballanard Road, which links Johnny Watterson Lane with the junction for Glencrutchery Road, Bray Hill and Ballaquayle Road. The ground level of the site and the surrounding area falls quite significantly to the west/south west. - 1.2 The surrounding area has a number of different house types, including bungalows and two storey dwellings; however this part of the street appears to have been built at a similar time period. The application site is not within a Conservation Area.

2.0 PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposal is for a large single storey side/rear extension which is separate from the main dwelling except for a link to the porch at the southern corner. The extension will have a hipped roof and contains a bedroom and living accommodation with a small bathroom. The extension will be accessed via the existing porch on the side of the property, which will be extended to include a staircase down to the proposed extension.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY Local Area Plan - Douglas Local Plan 1998 Site Designation - 'Predominantly Residential'

• The following policies are particularly relevant to this proposal:Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 General Policy 2 (GP2) - Development within land-use zones; and paragraph 8.12.1.
• 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY The previous planning applications are not considered to be specifically material in the assessment of the current application.
• 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only. Douglas Borough Council

• o No Objection (dated 01 April 2019) Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division
• o No comments at the time of writing Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) Arboricultural Officer
• o No objection, subject to conditions (dated 23 April 2019) Neighbours' views
• o No comments received.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The footprint of the extension is 6.6m x 10.6m. The applicant has not indicated in the submitted information the proposed use of the extensions other than that it will be for domestic purposes. They have not indicated that it will be a separate annex and the proposal has been assessed as an extension; however it would be possible to occupy it separately with a shared access. Therefore a condition will be included to ensure that it is not occupied independently. Character and appearance

6.2 The design if the proposed extension is not strictly in keeping with the main dwelling in terms of its form, siting or size; however the submitted information indicates that it will be constructed from matching materials to the main dwelling and the design attempts to replicate the designs of the windows to match with the house. The fall in the ground level to the rear of the site means that the extension will be lower than the existing dwelling, which will reduce its visibility from the highway.

6.2 Opportunities to see the proposed extension is limited due to the characteristics of the site i.e. the boundary wall, vegetation and the change in ground level. Therefore, on balance, the proposal would not unacceptably harm the characteristics of the existing building or the character of its surroundings. In this respect, the proposal complies with GP2. Impact on neighbours - 6.3 The distance between this property and the neighbouring properties to the rear is over 40m, which is sufficient even with the change in ground level. The proposed development would not result in a significant adverse impact upon the living conditions of neighbouring residents. In this respect, the proposal complies with GP2. Parking and highway safety - 6.4 On-site parking provision is adequate and complies with the standards set out in the Appendix 7 - Parking Standards. The proposal is therefore in accordance with GP2.

• Trees
• 6.5 The Arboricultural Officer have reviewed the application and has stated that they do not object to the removal of the Monkey Puzzle tree as it is considered to be a poor specimen and unlikely to be suitable for retention in the long term. The Sweet Chestnut on the neighbouring property however, is in good form and is rare for the island; therefore conditions regarding its protection have been recommended in line with the applicant's submitted tree report

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 The proposal is considered acceptable in accordance with the designation within the Local Area Plan and the appropriate policies within the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016. - 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.

8.3 The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is responsible for the determination of planning applications. As a result, where officers within the Department make comments in a professional capacity they cannot 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: 06.06.2019 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

Customer note

This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.