Officer Planning Report Recommendations

Planning Report And Recommendations {{table:453230}} ### Considerations {{table:453227}} ### Written Representations ### Consultations {{table:453228}} {{table:453229}}

Officer's Report

THIS APPLICATION IS REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS THE PROPOSAL REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 50% OF THE FLOOR AREA OF THE EXISTING PROPERTY AND THE APPLICATION IS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL. THE PROPERTY HAS ALREADY BEEN THE SUBJECT OF AN APPLICATION FOR THIS AMOUNT OF EXTENSION, WHICH WAS RECENTLY APPROVED.

The Site

The site represents the curtilage of an existing dwelling, Round Table House, situated on the Colby Glen Road (A27) at its junction with the Ronague Road (B42). The property is a traditional property which has been altered over time and which has a garage with an access right onto the Ronague Road at the corner. The property sits opposite Ronague Chapel - now a dwelling which has had a large extension added to the northern elevation.

The property is traditional from the front in appearance and proportion (but not detailing - the windows are casement style and the frontage has had dashed render applied at some point in the past) and less traditional from the rear where window openings are not regular or traditional in shape and there is a flat roofed annex attached with horizontally proportioned window within it. There is a small stone outbuilding on the northern elevation with garage doors facing north and a small lean-to stone store on the other gable.

Planning Status

The site lies within an area designated on the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982 as "white land", that is, not designated for development. On the draft Southern Area Plan published on 23rd October, 2009 the site lies within an area of Incised Slopes. The draft Plan contains the following advice: "Landscape Character Area 2 - Ballamodha, Earystane, and St Mark's: This is a fairly resilient landscape which has accommodated incursions of modern built development without severe detriment. However, some of the larger-scale residential developments lack either the topographical setting or the groups of trees which might have mitigated their visual impact."

The draft Planning Policy Statement 2/09 - The Role of Landscape Character in Development states:

"4.5 Type D: Incised Slopes

The overall strategy for the protection and enhancement of the Incised Slopes Landscape Character Type is to conserve and enhance: the remote and rural character; the relatively sparse settlement pattern of traditional hamlets and scattered farm buildings; the network of sunken and enclosed rural roads; and the substantial hedgerows and sod banks dividing irregularly-shaped pastoral fields. Key landscape planning considerations in relation to the protection and enhancement of this Landscape Character Type are as follows:-

• Care should be taken to ensure that housing and business development does not detract from the distinctive identity and setting of settlements, and avoids coalescence with other settlements within this Landscape Type;
• The design and layout of new housing and business development should include appropriate native structure planting to soften urban edges and enhance the transition to the wider landscape;
• Approach routes, key views, and gateways to settlements within these landscapes should be enhanced;
• Linear development along roads from settlements that extends urbanising influences into the wider countryside should be avoided;
• The use of local vernacular building styles and materials should be encouraged;
• New farm buildings that would compromise the pattern and scale of farmsteads across the undulating Incised Slopes landscapes should be discouraged;
• Care should be taken to minimise loss of hedgerows, sod banks, and other distinctive boundary features along road corridors;
• Tourist-related development, such as camp-sites, should avoid visually prominent locations, particularly those which can be viewed from higher land and those which would extend urbanising influence along the coast;
• Care should be taken to avoid the suburbanisation of river valleys and stream corridors;
• Tall vertical telecommunications masts or structures which detract from the sloping landform or create visual clutter should be avoided."

Planning History

Planning permission was sought and granted for the alteration and extension of the property under PA 10/0014.

The Proposal

Now proposed is the alteration and extension of the property in a form slightly amended from that shown in the approved scheme PA 10/0014. The changes take the form of the removal of the existing hedge directly in front of the house, and its replacement with a rendered wall stepped from 900 mm high to 1.8 m high, the omission of an approved door in the extended side elevation, the addition of solar panels on the new rear elevation, the retention of the existing front door in the porch and the erection of small rear porch in place of an approved canopy.

The principal alterations and extension remain as approved - the existing dwelling provides approximately 111 sq. m of ground floor space including the garage and 62 sq. m on the first floor,

resulting in 173 sq. m, measured externally. The proposed scheme includes extensions which bring the accommodation to 144 sq. m on the ground floor and 130 sq. m on the first - a total of 274 sq. m - a total increase of of the existing. The extensions propose building above the side store, extending the garage towards the Ronague Road and providing access from within the site rather than from the road to the north, providing accommodation above the rear sun lounge and lobby, extension of the rear elevation on the left hand side (south) in two storey form and replacement of the windows in the front elevation with sliding sashes and the dashed render is to be "made good" and painted white.

Work has commenced on the approved scheme.

Representations

Arbory Parish Commissioners indicate that they do not oppose the application.

Assessment

The original scheme was approved and the proposed alterations are now minor in comparison to the overall works. The rear porch will provide more shelter for those waiting to go into the house, the removal of the hedge will reveal more of the house but what will be visible is attractive. The removal of the hedge and its replacement with a wall up to 1 m would not require planning permission - the taller section of wall which will provide additional privacy for occupants of the side, front and rear garden will not be out of keeping - the Colby Glen Road has various sections of relatively high stone walling and the proposed wall will be the same height as, or lower than the height of the existing hedge.

The proposed amendments to the approved scheme are considered to be acceptable and within the provisions of Housing Policy 15.

Party Status

The local authority is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 20.08.2010

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval <br> N : Notes attached to conditions <br> R : Reasons for refusal <br> O : Notes attached to refusals

C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

C 2.

This permission relates to the alterations and extensions shown in drawings reference 0912/01, 0912/03A and 0912/04A all received on 20th July, 2010.

C 3. The works to be undertaken must include the replacement of windows in the front elevation of the existing dwelling and the closing off of the existing vehicular access onto the Ronague Road, all as shown in the approved drawings.

I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Authority in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the Town and Country (Development Procedure) 2005

Decision Made : ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................