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THIS APPLICATION DOES NOT WARRANT BEING REFERRED TO THE PLANNING COMMITTEE UNDER ANY OF THE PROVISIONS OF GOVERNMENT CIRCULAR 1/06. HOWEVER, IT IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED IN RESPECT OF THIS SITE, SOME OF WHICH ARE TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE AND AS SUCH, FOR CONSISTENCY AND IN ORDER FOR THE COMMITTEE TO BE AWARE OF THE EXTENT OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT, THE APPLICATION IS SO REFERRED.
The site represents the curtilage of Lorne House - a large dwelling situated in its own grounds and accessed from Douglas Street at its junction with School Lane. Lorne House itself sits towards the south western end of the site with part of the boundary of the site bounding Bridge Street alongside number 5, Bridge Street and Rushen House on the eastern side.
At the School Lane site, the site has alongside it Lorne House Lode, Stable Cottage and Coach House Cottage - three terraced dwellings which front onto School Lane and back onto the application site. Lorne House Lodge shares its vehicular access with the application site. There is a group of buildings opposite this, to the south west, including a former piggery which has recently been demolished due to its structural condition. To the south west of this is a kitchen garden.
The applicant has recently had installed an electricity substation opposite Lorne House Lodge, surrounded by stone walling.
PLANNING STATUS The site lies within an area designated on the Castletown Local Plan of 1991 and the draft Southern Area Plan which was published on 23rd October, 2009 as on the boundary of the Residential area and the grounds of Lorne House which are designated as Woodland.
The site also lies within Castletown's Conservation Area. Lorne House is suggested in the draft Southern Area Plan which was published on 23rd October, 2009 as worthy of consideration for Registration.
PLANNING HISTORY Many applications have been submitted for development at Lorne House. The only one relevant to this application is a very recent proposal for walling and gates at the entrance to Lorne House, which was permitted - PA 10/0409 but which is the subject of an appeal at the request of the owner of Lorne House Lodge.
THE PROPOSAL Now proposed is retrospective permission for the installation of the substation and the erection of walling alongside. The walling is higher than the substation and lower than the existing walling behind.
The applicant has explained that the substation which the application structure replaced was much larger than what is proposed and was more visible than what is proposed. The new substation was installed at the same time as the Callow's Yard substation and together provide a ring main system to be introduced for the town's supply.
REPRESENTATIONS Castletown Commissioners and the Highways and Traffic Division indicate that they have no objection to the application.
Hugh Logan Architects and the Trustees of 2, Bridge Street write in on this application stating that they are astonished that Lorne House is not Registered and that this proposal, and the other current applications (see above) should be considered in the light of Planning Policy Statement 1/01 and for that reason they object to the application. These parties make no suggestion that the works do not satisfy these criteria nor do they make any attempt to establish the specific criteria against which the application should be assessed or to make any assessment. These parties are some distance from the proposed works.
The owner of 11, Queen Street expresses concern at the number of applications for Lorne House and the cumulative impact of these proposals.
The owner of The Malt House on Bridge Street expresses concern that the application is retrospective and seeks assurance that if the application is permitted, no further alterations will be permitted without the appropriate approvals.
The proposal should be considered in respect of Environment Policy 35 which states: "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character of appearance of the area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development".
In this case the works are largely hidden behind the existing stone entrance walls and it is difficult to see the walling or the electricity substation, even if one is looking for it. At the time of the site visit the substation was completely shrouded in green fencing.
The fact that Lorne House is not registered is not a valid reason for objection. Indeed it is stated above that the property is on the list for consideration for Registration and the proposal has been assessed in respect of its position within a Conservation Area and in both cases there is a duty to consider whether a development proposal should seek to preserve the character and appearance of the building. There was previously a sub-station here and the new sub-station is on a smaller footprint than that.
It is relevant that there is no objection from Castletown Heritage or the local authority or, indeed from the owner of any property which is directly alongside or near to the proposed works. It is also relevant that the objections received are replications of objections to the other applications submitted in respect of Lorne House, which are for a wide variety of developments which different impacts on different parts of the town, some of which cannot be seen by the public and neither objecting party has identified a specific objection or harmful impact from this proposed development.
As the property is located within the Castletown Conservation Area designated in 1990, the content of this application has been considered with particular regard to Policy CA/2 SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS of Conservation Areas as set out within Planning Policy Statement 1/01- Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man.
As commented on by the Planning Officer, Lorne House has been suggested for inclusion on the Protected Buildings Register in the draft Southern Area Plan, published on the 23rd October 2009.
Lorne House is almost totally enclosed by boundary walls formed in the local light grey limestone. The portion of the site occupied by the proposed MEA Sub Station was characterised by a series of low level out-buildings including a former Piggery. Given the location of the Sub Station in an area of similarly scaled outbuildings and its construction in the local limestone, this application could not be considered to be detrimental to the character of the potentially registerable building and the Castletown Conservation Area within which it is located and is therefore acceptable.
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.
The occupants/owners/trustees of 2 and 10, Bridge Street are physically adjacent to the site should be afforded party status on the basis of 2(1)(a) of Government Circular 1/06 - Determination of Interested Party Status. However, neither of these parties is directly affected by the proposal nor do they raise any specific or material objection to the application and as such, as the Circular states that parties owning or residing in land or buildings which physically adjoin the site shall "generally" be
afforded party status, in this case the Committee may consider it inappropriate to afford party status to these parties.
The owner of The Malt House is associated with property which physically abuts the site and as such should be afforded party status although they are not directly affected by the proposed works.
The occupant of Queen Street is not directly affected by the proposal and should not be afforded party status in this instance.
The Department of Transport Highways and Traffic Division is now part of the Department of Infrastructure of which the planning authority is part. As such, the Highways and Traffic Division cannot be afforded party status in this instance.
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 25.08.2010 Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal
C 1.
This permission relates to the erection of an electricity sub-station and surrounding walling as shown in drawing 01 received on 13th July, 2010
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 : ............................ Authority Meeting Date : ............................ Signed : ............................ Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Authority an additional report/condition reason is required. Signing Officer to delete as appropriate
25 August 2010 10/00986/B Page 4 of 4
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