Officer Report

Application No.: 14/00948/B Applicant: E B Holdings Ltd Proposal: Construction of a light industrial or storage and distribution unit Site Address: Proposed Industrial Unit White Hoe Industrial Estate Old Castletown Road Douglas Isle Of Man Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Site Visit: 16.08.2014 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The site is a piece of land which lies within the White Hoe Industrial estate on the northern side of the A25 Old Castletown Road. The site lies lower than the public highway and is accessed therefrom by an estate road which runs from the west of the IRIS pump station and to the east of an existing car park and three existing industrial units whose ridges run west to east. The site is part of a wider area which runs north as far as the steam railway line. - 1.2 The application site is a piece of land which has dimensions of 44.5m by 1.3m. - 1.3 The area where the building is proposed is already dug out. The tree which was referred to in the previous applications has been removed - see Planning History. There are three buildings on the site with spaces in between for further development. Access into the site is via a made up road. Visibility at the junction onto the A25 is good other than for a small sign advertising the fitness facilities on the site, which obscures visibility towards Douglas. The development is lower than the road and as such the buildings, whilst sizeable, have less of a visual impact than may otherwise be the case. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Proposed is the erection of a building on the site together with four parking spaces to the north of the building and between it and the estate road. The building will be 30.5m by 10m,

• 5.8m to the eaves and 6.8m to the ridge. The building will be finished in light green cladding and mid green trim, matching the existing building to the east within the site.

2.2 The building is proposed to be used for light industrial or storage and distribution purposes. The building has an internal nett floor area of 278 sq m. PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY AND PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Douglas Local Plan of 1998 as part of a wider area of Private Woodland. The site, however, has planning approval for development under 07/01212/B. A subsequent approval was granted to industrial unit to the east with 17 parking spaces and landscaping provided. This was stated in the officer's report as providing 7 spaces more than would be required for the light industrial use of the building. Landscaping was shown down the western boundary of the proposed car parking spaces, which is part of the current application site and there is no planting shown, nor the existing tree which was to

• be retained and protected as part of the earlier application. An on-site inspection reveals that this tree is no longer on site. There was, in the original approval, a line of trees down the western side of the adjacent plot which are not shown: in fact the proposed building is sited where the tree planting would have been.
• 3.2 In the consideration of PA 10/01257/B which was for the north easternmost building the officer's report included the following:

"In respect of the visual amenities of the locality, the proposal would not look out of character within an industrial estate. The building is single storey in height and will be set approximately 5.4m below road level. There is an existing landscaped buffer zone between the application site and the public highway of the Old Castletown Road, which was planted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. However, the building will still be visible from the public highway and it is considered that additional tree planting is required between the building and the existing tree buffer zone to further limit the visual impact of the proposal. This planting would need to be carried out in accordance with the tree planting strategy submitted as part of planning application 07/01212 for the estate layout, which was approved in December 2007" and a condition was attached:

"All planting shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans and the tree planting strategy, attached to planning permission 07/01212/B for the creation of an industrial estate layout granted on 20th December 2007, in the first planting and seeding seasons following the granting of this planning permission.

Furthermore, additional tree planting must take place in the first planting and seeding seasons following the granting of this planning permission in the following area:

• (a) land between the building and the building and north-eastern boundary of the application site; and
• (b) land between the building/hardstanding and the existing tree planting adjacent to the south-eastern boundary of the application site."

3.3 Similar conditions were attached to PAs 06/02209/B and 02210/B for the building adjacent to the application site, to the north east:

"All planting shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans and the tree planting strategy, attached to planning permission 07/01212/B for the creation of an industrial estate layout granted on 20th December 2007, in the first planting and seeding seasons following the completion of the building.

Furthermore, additional tree planting must take place in the first planting and seeding seasons following the completion of the building in the following area:

• (a) land between the building and the building and north-eastern boundary of the application

site; and

• (b) land between the building/hardstanding and the existing tree planting adjacent to the south-eastern boundary of the application site."

3.4 What is now proposed includes no landscaping and effectively changes the layout between the existing building approved under PAs 06/02209/B and 02210/B from one building with landscaping around it to potentially two with no landscaping. - 3.5 The Strategic Plan requires there to be one parking space per 30 sq m of floor space for light industrial use, one per 50 sq m of industrial floor space and 1 per 100 sq m of storage and distribution floor space. REPRESENTATIONS

4.1 Highway Services indicate that the application should be refused as there is inadequate car parking to serve a building which is to be used for light industrial purposes. - 4.2 Manx Utilities Authority seeks consultation regarding the provision of electricity which is not a material planning consideration. - 4.3 Douglas Corporation indicates that they do not oppose the application. ASSESSMENT

5.1 The development will have little in the way of impact in terms of visual change to the character and appearance of the area as it is a clearly developing industrial estate with buildings of a similar character already on the site. The loss of the existing tree which was referred to previously is disappointing its retention was not essential to the successful layout of the estate. - 5.2 The critical issue is that of car parking. The applicant is aware of the concerns of Department of Infrastructure Highway Services and has clarified that the whole of the estate is owned by the applicant, a single entity who let out the various units on it. They have no intention of selling off any of the units. They have provided an amended plan which shows the land which will be allocated to this unit and which provides ten spaces. If the unit were to be used for light industrial purposes there would need to be 9 parking spaces provided. The amended site definition shows there to be nine available without adversely affecting the car parking provision overall as the adjacent development had seven more spaces than were required. Whilst the amendment of a red line in an application would normally require a readvertisement, in this case, the change merely reflects the allocation of spaces which will be provided by the site owner with no physical change to the development not any knock on effect on the operation of the adjacent unit. - 5.3 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services has been advised of the change in allocation of spaces for this unit and has withdrawn their objection. As such the application is recommended for approval.

PARTY STATUS

6.1 The local authority is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, paragraph 6 (4) (e), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status. - 6.2 Department of Infrastructure Highway Services is granted interested party status under the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 paragraph 6 (4) d. - 6.3 MEA do not raise material planning considerations and as such should not be afforded interested person status in this case.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation:

10.11.2014

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval

• N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
• O : Notes attached to refusals

• 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. At least nine car parking spaces on or alongside the site must be available to this unit at all times. Reason: the ensure that the standards of the Strategic Plan are adhered to.

This approval relates to drawings EBH-14-G-1 and EBH-14-G-2 both received on 6th August, 2014.

I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control /Head of Development Management/ Senior Planning Officer.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 11/11/14 Determining officer (delete as appropriate) Signed :…………………………………….. Chris Balmer Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer Signed :…………………………………….. Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control Signed : Jennifer Chance Jennifer Chance Head of Development Management