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The property that is the subject of this planning application and dates back to 1947 comprises 2x2 bed apartments located one over the other on a double width plot located at the upper end of Royal Avenue where residential properties are within easy reach of the many facilities on offer in Onchan Village
Whilst the lower end of Royal Avenue is very much a series of semi or terraced residential properties of similar gable bay design, the properties in this particular area are a mixture of individual and semi detached houses of varying age and style with the 32 apartment complex of Royal Court on the nearby opposite side of the road being the most recent development within the immediate area.
This particular property is a 1940's cavity constructed building with facing brick external leaf that has subsequently been painted. Whilst the walls are cavity construction unfortunately the narrowness of the cavities used in this era does not preclude water ingress from driving rain.
The roof of the two storey element is a mixture of a felt finished flat roof and a felt finished mansard roof with hips finished in dark brown sand-faced roof tiles. The single storey element is finished with a felt covered concrete flat roof. A sun room with a felt finished lean to roof has been added mat a later date.
The presence of an underground water course which crosses part of the site was known about at the time of its construction. Its presence was dealt with at the time by fully culverting it through to the boundary of the site. Nevertheless subsequent drainage and underpinning works to stabilize the building have had to be carried out and it is becoming increasingly evident through continued settlement that significant structural problems still prevail.
Whilst refurbishment has taken place at regular intervals, the applicant's ability to maintain and upgrade the property to meet current lifestyle standards is becoming increasingly unsustainable due to:
The sustainable solution is therefore to replace the property with energy efficient well planned lifestyle accommodation more appropriate to twenty first century living.
To achieve long term sustainability the applicant wishes through good planning and rationalization of its current form to replace the poorly laid out two storey apartment block with four tastefully designed apartments to the standard young executives would be proud to call home.
Whilst the upper apartments of the proposed new building are still traditionally laid out in that the Lounges are at the front and the Bedrooms are at the rear, the Ground Floor apartments have been flipped as we believe Lounges to the rear will enable a much better living environment to be created by taking advantage of the sunny aspect and good outlook over what is effectively a very secluded mature garden.
Although the overall floor area of the building inevitably increases in size to achieve 4 apartments, the overall width and depth of the two storey element of building is still very much in keeping with its neighbors, and the impact of any increased massing on its immediate environment has been minimized through the rationalization of ground floor levels, eaves and ridge lines all of which are now much more in keeping with the surrounding area.
To achieve level access the proposed ground floor level has been set at a much lower level than that of the current property. This is of real benefit as it also affords an opportunity for landscaping works to the rear garden to be carried out in such a manner that allows private terraces for the two ground floor apartments to be created at a lower level to that of the existing mature landscaping which in turn becomes private gardens for the upper apartments. The inclusion of appropriately landscaped individual private external spaces is of benefit to the immediate neighbors and future occupants alike
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The existing mature landscaping environment remains generally undisturbed and work within the canopy spread of existing mature trees is limited to nominal landscaping works
The existing and adjacent properties currently have a significant amount of windows that overlook each other. Redevelopment of the site through careful planning has enabled existing overlooking issues to be virtually eliminated with only a small secondary window to the Kitchen/Dining areas remaining
The reduction in width of the new revised building from that of the previous refused application to maintain a greater separation with that of No 149 means that the new development causes no particular overshadowing or loss of light to no 149 whilst its reduction in depth ensures the current preferred car park size for curtilage parking is achieved
The number of parking spaces is 1 per bedroom which fully accords with the requirements of the strategic plan
The rationalization of vehicular access through the incorporation of one central access in lieu of the two separate vehicular accesses that currently exist is of real benefit as the improved parking layout affords space for vehicles to be able to turn within the site...a huge improvement to road safety on this major highway
We have added statements below to highlight where we believe the proposals sit with regard to Policy 2 which states that:
(a) is in accordance with the design brief in the Area Plan where there is such a brief; ... the design brief for the site has been established from the form and character of the surrounding buildings
(b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;...whilst the massing of the building has generally increased the overall scale of the building i.e width, depth and height of the building is still very much in keeping with its surroundings,
the form and design of the new building is much more in keeping than that which currently exists with the gable ended bay window situations afforded on many of the properties in the area being reflected through the use of gables and canopy roofs
whilst it has been moved back slightly the building line is still very much in keeping with that of the surrounding area and the overall
landscaping of the site is more appropriate and in keeping with its surroundings
the rationalization of the vehicular access and associated hard landscaping area to the front is of real benefit as it enables cars to turn before leaving and is in keeping with the "two cars per plot" situation that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the area, the rationalization of the landscaping to the rear will provide a much more aesthetically pleasing environment for neighbours and future occupants alike:
(c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; ... the new building is actually more in keeping with its surrounding than the current building itself
(d) does not adversely affect the protected wildlife or locally important habitats on the site or adjacent land, including water courses;...the already culverted water course will remain as is with redevelopment providing the ideal opportunity for improvements to be made to foundation design to ensure it does not cause undue harm to the new building in the long run: Work in the vicinity of existing tress is limited to nominal site works and no wildlife areas will be disturbed
(e) does not affect adversely public views of the sea; ... no impact in this respect
(f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks; ...whilst the site of the property will be leveled through the infilling of basements the remainder of the topography will generally remain unaltered
(g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; ...the building has been designed with its locality and neighbors in mind
(h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; ...the amenity standards provided by this development are in keeping with modern day demands, as stated above 1 parking space per bedroom has been provided which is in line with the requirements of the strategic plan, centralizing of the access and the increase in hardstanding to the front with appropriate turning space ensures that a much safer method of egress is achieved
(i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; ...the fact that turning space is incorporated represents a vast improvement on the current situation
(j) can be provided with all necessary services; ...utility services are readily available in this town centre location
(k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan; ... nothing in the design will hinder the development of adjacent sites
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(I) is not on contaminated land or subject to unreasonable risk of erosion or flooding; ...basements will be avoided and foundations and ground slab will be designed with the water course in mind (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them;...redevelopment enables this to be achieved and (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption...redevelopment provides an ideal opportunity to ensure that this is the case
The reasons given for refusal of the previous application have been addressed in the flowing manner
Reason 1 The proposed development would cause unacceptable harm to the private residential amenity of existing residential properties adjoining the application site. Specifically, the proposed elevated balconies will result in unacceptable overlooking or an unacceptable perception of overlooking of those adjoining properties to the detriment of their private residential amenity. As such the proposed development is contrary to the provisions of General policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007
This has been addressed by the omission of all elevated balconies to the rear of the property
Reason 2 The relevant parking standard for the proposed development under provisions of Appendix 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 is eight spaces. By providing only four spaces the proposed development fails to meet that standard and is therefore contrary to the provision of General Policy 2 and Transport Policy 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007.
We have addressed this by reducing the total number of Bedrooms on the site to 4 in lieu of 8.
Reason 3 The dimensions of the proposed car parking spaces fail to meet current minimum standards of 3.25m x 6m for this type of parking layout and the entrance width fails to meet the current minimum standard of 4.1m. Furthermore it is not believed that all vehicles could enter and exit the site in a forward gear due to the limited maneuvering space. As such it is concluded that the proposed development is detrimental; to highway safety and public amenity, thereby contrary to the provision of General Policy 2 and Transport Policy 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007
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The overall depth of the building has been reduced to facilitate more space being available at the front for parking, the overall frontage depth being circa 6.7m of hardstanding + planting margin which will achieve 4 car parking spaces to meet the DOI's current preferred curtilage car park space width of 3.25m
In addition the hardstanding area has been maximized in width to achieve an average overall width circa 17.75 i.e two spaces of 6.0m long for curtilage parking + 5.75m of maneuverability space which is perfectly adequate to allow vehicles to enter and exit in a forward gear
In addition the entrance width has been increased from 4.0m to 4.1m to fully comply in this respect
From a road safety point of view a single point of entry that is appropriate in width and where maneuverability space is sufficient to allow vehicles to enter and exist in a forward gear is a vast improvement to the current situation where two points of entry exist and reversing in one direction or the other is undoubtedly required
Re-development of the site in the manner proposed is the most appropriate way of enabling the current landlord to achieve improved sustainable living standards for future tenants, and fully aspire to the ethos of sustainable development
The amended proposals fully address the reasons given for the previous refusal and fully accord with the requirements of the Strategic Plan
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