Design and Planning Statement

Replacement Dwelling

Ballachree, Churchtown, Lezayre

DESIGN AND PLANNING STATEMENT (revised)

This application is for a replacement dwelling pursuant to that approved under application No. 08/01001 and deals with all reserved matters referred to in Condition No. 1 to that approval. In accordance with Condition No. 3 to that approval, Ballachree Cottage has been demolished, all demolition materials removed and its site reinstated as a garden area.

The new application is for a four-bed-room property with integral double garage, having its principal aspects to the open fields to the east and south of the plot. The form is that of a dormer bungalow with all first floor accommodation encompassed within the pitched roof. Day lighting of the first floor on the west side is provided by roof lights and limits views to the west in the direction of Ballachree, a substantial Victorian house in the applicant's ownership.

Whilst modest in both form and appearance the proposed dwelling is designed in a simple, modern style with crisp detailing. The principal external materials are painted white render under a grey, concrete tiled roof. Dormers in the roof and the projecting canopies over the main entrance and bay windows are to be clad in lead. Gables, fascias, and soffits are to be faced in natural timber boarding with glass balustrades to balconies in the gables. Windows, doors, and external screens are to be dark grey powder coated aluminium with boarded hardwood doors and a factory painted sectional garage door. The building will be constructed to energy efficient standards equating at least to the requirements of current building regulations. The form of the building as proposed is itself compact and therefore energy efficient.

The proposal meets the specific requirements of Housing Policy 14; the relocation from the original footprint was approved under application No 08/01001/A, and the increase in area of the proposed dwelling over the original is $25 \%$, less than the $50 \%$ permissible.

As noted in the Planning Officer's Report and Recommendation on PA 08/01001, 'This proposal would not have a significant impact upon the character or appearance of the area, particularly when viewed from the public highway B17 road, due to a number of large mature trees, mature hedgerows and residential dwellings (Tranent, \& Broadlands \& Kione-ny-Curragh) which are all between the application site and the highway.' In other words the visual impact of the proposed building is very low as was the original building although slightly less so. There would be no adverse visual impact.

The design of the proposed dwelling does not follow Planning Circular 3/91. Whilst modest in form, the design of the replacement building is bespoke, crisp, modern and of high quality making use of high quality materials. The proposal therefore meets with the further requirements of Housing Policy 14 which allows for 'buildings of innovative, modern design where this is of high quality and would not result in adverse visual impact.

The demolition materials from the existing building were of insufficient quality for reuse, however local stone is to be used in the plinth walls and the principal external material is to be white painted render as was the original building. The design therefore complies with the further requirement of Housing Policy 14 for new fabric to be 'finished to match the materials of the original building'.

January 2010, updated April 2010

Hugh Logan Architects<br>Bridge Court<br>10 Bridge Street<br>Castletown<br>Isle of Man<br>IM9 1AX