DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/00901/CON Applicant: The Vicars & Wardens Proposal: Registered Building consent for removal of six pews (RB 248) Site Address: St Michaels Church Main Road Kirk Michael Isle Of Man IM6 1ER Registered Buildings Officer: Mr Ross Brazier Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 09.10.2020 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

• C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.

Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.

• C 2. Prior to work commencing of each phase, the methodology for the implementation of works shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. For the avoidance of doubt this shall include the method of removal of historic fabric and method of insertion of any new elements. The method statement approved shall be used during the implementation of the works undertaken during that phase, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Department. Reason: To ensure the satisfactory preservation of this registered building.
• C 3. Prior to work commencing of each phase, photographic Building Recording (in association with a plan identifying photograph locations) to Level 1 (in accordance with the Historic England guidance ' Understanding Historic Buildings: A guide to good recording practice') shall be undertaken for the removal of all structural components in the building. Reason: To ensure the satisfactory preservation of this registered building.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposals are considered to be in accordance with the Strategic Plan policies, Policies RB/3 RB/5, CA/2 and CA/4 of Planning Policy Statement 1/01

Plans/Drawings/Information;

This decision relates to the following: all plans and supporting information date stamped 7th August 2020. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is the registered building of St. Michael's church, Kirk Michael, the building sits within a large churchyard located adjacent to the Main Road within the centre of Kirk Michael Village. - 1.2 St Michael's Church (RB 248) was consecrated on 11th Jun 1835. It was built after the old 12th century parish church, which formerly stood on the site, was deemed to be in a poor condition and too small for the increasing population of the parish. - 1.3 The church is designed in a Gothic style, the impressive stone lych gate (designed by Armitage Rigby) and the Norse stone crosses which are kept inside the church. It is also noted for being the burial place of five Bishops including the legendary Bishop Wilson, which was due to its proximity to Bishopscourt, situated just north of Kirk Michael.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks registered building consent to remove six box pews from the north wall of the nave with the relocation of one of the removed pews along the north wall.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions

(3) In considering —

• (a) whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting, or
• (b) whether to grant registered building consent for any works,

the relevant Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

- 3.2 THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016

Environment Policy 32: Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted.

3.3 Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man

POLICY RB/3 General criteria applied in considering registered building applications The issues that are generally relevant to the consideration of all registered building applications are:-

• o The importance of the building, its intrinsic architectural and historic interest and rarity, relative to the Island as a whole and within the local context;
• o The particular physical features of the building (which may include its design, plan, materials or location) which justify its inclusion in the register; descriptions annexed to the entry in the register may draw attention to features of particular interest or value, but they are not exhaustive and other features of importance, (e.g. Interiors, murals, hidden fireplaces) may come to light after the building's entry in the register;
• o The building's setting and its contribution to the local scene, which may be very important, e.g. Where it forms an element in a group, park, garden or other townscape or landscape, or where it shares particular architectural forms or details with other buildings nearby (including other registered buildings).

POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS In considering whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting and in considering whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

Registered building consent is required for the building's alteration in any way which would affect its special architectural or historic character. There will be a general presumption against alteration or extension of registered buildings, except where a convincing case can be made, against the criteria set out in this section, for such proposals.

Applicants for registered building consent for alteration or extension to a registered building must be able to justify their proposals. They will be required to show why the works which would affect the character of the registered building are desirable or necessary and they should provide full information to enable the Department to assess the likely impact of their proposals

• on the special architectural or historic interest of the building and on its setting. Where registered buildings are the subject of successive applications for alteration or extension, consideration will also be given to the cumulative effect upon the building's special interest as a result of several minor works which may individually seem of little consequence.

POLICY RB/10 ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS The same provisions apply for registered buildings which fall within this category, as apply elsewhere. Contrary to the situation which prevails elsewhere, no exemption exists with respect to ecclesiastical buildings in the Isle of Man. In considering applications for registered building consent for alteration or extension to buildings in this category, it is acknowledged that factors such as the size and requirements of modern congregations may differ considerably from when the church was originally constructed. Applicants considering carrying out alterations, extensions or improvements to ecclesiastical buildings which are registered, should consider the extent to which their proposals will affect the particular historic merit or architectural character of the building in question. An application is less likely to succeed if either of these qualities is markedly affected. It must also be remembered that in addition to the requirement for registered building consent, it will usually be necessary to obtain the formal consent of the appropriate church authority: early dialogue can often assist in deciding upon the most appropriate way to progress such works.

- 4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 4.1 The site has been subject to a number of applications, the most relevant being for alterations including pew removal to create a children's area -approved 18/00518/CON

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Highway Services indicate that there is no highway interest in the application (26.08.20).

5.2 Michael Commissioners has no objection to the works (09.09.20). - 5.3 Manx National Heritage, The Isle of Man Victorian Society and Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society were all consulted (19.08.20) No responses were been received from these heritage interest groups.

- 6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The issue for the application is the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

• 6.1.1 It is disappointing that Statement of Significance as required as part of the Faculty application has not been submitted to support the application, however based on the previous decision and limited scope of proposals there is sufficient information to understand and assess the potential impact of the proposals upon the special interest of the building.
• 6.2.1 The proposals will result in the loss of 5 pews and the relocation of one pew in addition to those previously removed. The issue therefore is whether the loss of the pews will cause harm to the special interest of the building.

• 6.2.2 The Pews are considered to make some contribution to the special interest of the building as their presence contributes to the traditional appearance and layout of church buildings. They appear to be contemporary to the building and are therefore example of late Georgian box pews.

The loss of these pews must be considered against the benefit brought by the proposals to create a more flexible space. It is considered that the given the limited scale of the proposals combined with the previous pew removal and the number of pews remaining within the building that there remains enough pews to not only provide examples of these features but still enable the intended and historic layout of the building to be read. The loss of the pews and relocation of one is outweighed by the benefit of the proposals and their removal is therefore acceptable.

- 7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 The works, whilst changing the internal character of the building are limited in scale and will overall result in providing more versatile use of the building. The works will have some limited impact upon the special interest of the registered building but the benefits of the proposals provide a justification for the works, the application is therefore supported - 8.0 Interested Party Status

8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013 (As Amended), the following are automatically interested persons:

• o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent;
• o Manx National Heritage, and
• o The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

8.2 The Decision maker must determine whether there are other persons to those listed above who should 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: 09.10.2020 Determining officer

Signed : A MORGAN Abigail Morgan Principal Planner

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