DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00915/B Applicant: Mr Mike Szender Proposal: Installation of two roof lights to front elevation Site Address: Sunnyside Lower Dukes Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 4BH Principal Planner: Miss S E Corlett Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 24.09.2019 _________________________________________________________________

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 the drawings and information received on 16th August, 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 which sits on the northern side of Lower Duke's Road. The property is the last of the row of properties between it and Ballaquayle Road which is a Conservation Area. There is another Conservation Area, Olympia, which lies to the east. The properties in between, including the application dwelling, are relatively modern although not unattractive.

1.2 The dwelling is a 1930s semi with a round headed front door opening, rounded bays on the ground and first floors and external finishes of pea dash with dwarf brick walling and dark tiles on the roof. THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Proposed is the installation of two rooflights in the front plane. These are over the size allowed under The Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012: 1.2m wide and 1.1m high sitting at the same level mid way up the roof. PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Douglas Local Plan as Residential. As such, the following parts of the Strategic Plan are relevant:

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; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality".

3.2 The Department has recently published the Residential Design Guidance (March 2019) which provides advice on the design of new houses and extensions to existing property as well as how to assess the impact of such development on the living conditions of those in adjacent residential property. There is no specific guidance on roof lights. PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 The property has not been the subject of any previous applications. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Neither Highway Services nor Douglas Borough Council have any objections (23.08.19 and 30.08.19). ASSESSMENT - 6.1 Whilst none of the existing properties in the row has rooflights, there are some in the older properties on the other side of the road. It would be possible for any of the dwellings to have up to three rooflights installed on their front planes without permission as long as the rooflights were no larger than 1 sq m in area. What is proposed is only slightly larger and would not have any more significant impact than what could be achieved without approval under the Order. In any case, the character of the building would lend itself to such a modern alteration as a rooflight and there would be no adverse impact.

6.2 The rooflights look onto a main road and sit above large bay windows: as such there would be no additional overlooking or impact on those living in properties on the other side of the road as a result of the rooflights. CONCLUSION - 7.1 The application is considered to accord with the relevant parts of the Strategic Plan 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 : 01.10.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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