Dept Decision and Inspector's Report

Cabinet Office

Government Office DOUGLAS Isle of Man IM1 3PN Direct Line (01624) 685280 Fax Number (01624) 685710 Email [email protected] CHIEF SECRETARY Will Greenhow ACMA Our Reference : DF14/0010 24th June 2014 Planning Secretary Department Of Infrastructure Planning and Building Control Division Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Dear Planning Secretary,

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE) (No2) ORDER 2013

PA Ref: Applicant: Department Of Education And Children Proposal: Alterations and improvements to existing boundary wall and main entrance arrangement Address: Isle Of Man College Homefield Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 6RB I refer to the abovementioned planning application. In accordance with the Article 9 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, I herewith give notice of the decision as follows.

On 19th June 2014 the Council of Ministers considered the recommendations of the Planning Inspector and determined to approve the application subject to the condition(s) specified below.

1. The development hereby approved shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
2. The development hereby permitted shall not be carried out except in accordance with the following drawings:

Drawing Number P02 and Drawing Number P02 Revision A, received on 4th March 2014.

In accordance with article 10(c) of the Order, please be advised that the decision of the Council of Ministers is binding and final (subject to the possibility of judicial review by petition of doleance)

The Planning Inspector's report, upon which the decision was determined, may be viewed by visiting http://www.gov.im/categories/planning-and-building-control/planning-developmentcontrol/department-applications/departmental-applications-decisions/ or by contacting the office of the Chief Secretary for a hardcopy (Tel 685204).

Yours faithfully, A Johnstone Planning Appeals Administrator

Crown Division Government Offices Douglas Isle of Man 30 May 2014 To the Council of Ministers Case Reference DF14/0010 Planning Application 14/00257/B Application by the Department of Education and Children for planning approval for alterations and improvements to the existing boundary wall and main entrance arrangement at the Isle of Man College, Homefield Road, Douglas.

1. I have the honour to report that on 19 May 2014 I carried out a site visit at the above location. The case is being made by written representations.
2. The planning application involves highway land owned by the Department of Infrastructure. The application is therefore one that has to be determined by the Council of Ministers, not the Planning Committee.

Site Description And The Proposal

1. The application site is the entrance to the Isle of Man College, on the northern side of Homefield Road in Douglas. There are houses on the opposite side of the road, and the surrounding area is predominantly residential.
2. The proposal has various elements, all of which are intended to improve the safety and appearance of the college's entrance:

• The existing main entrance would be widened from 14 m to 16.5 m so that there is enough space to provide a footpath on each side of the vehicular entrance. New kerbs would define the footpaths.
• A crossing point for pedestrians, in contrasting block paviors, would be provided alongside Homefield Road in front of the entrance.
• A crossing point for pedestrians would also be provided within the car park, just inside the entrance.
• The height of the existing entrance pillars would be increased from 2 m to 2.7 m and an identical pair of pillars would be built beside the new footpaths.
• The boundary wall along Homefield Road would be raised by 0.5 m to a maximum height of 1.5 m . It would be given a new concrete capping and a painted render.
• On each side of the entrance, for a distance of 4 m , decorative metal railings would be mounted on top of the wall.
• A new sign would be installed, and it would be illuminated by a recessed ground light.
• The pillars at the secondary entrance, some 70 m to the east further along Homefield Road, would be upgraded by the provision of new cappings and a painted rendered finish.

Representations Received

1. The Manx Electricity Authority has requested that the applicant makes contact before any work starts. No other representations have been received.

Advice From The Department Of Infrastructure'S Planning And Building Control Division

1. The College has been the subject of many planning applications in the past, but none is relevant to the current proposal.

1. The application should be assessed against the relevant criteria of General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (IoMSP).

Assessment

1. To my mind, the existing entrance and roadside wall neither enhances the appearance of the college nor announces its presence in a fitting way. The proposed alterations would be a visual improvement. The quality of the entrance would be commensurate with the quality of the college buildings behind it. The street scene in Homefield Road would be enhanced. General Policy 2(c) of the IoMSP requires development to respect the character of the surrounding area. In my view this requirement would be met.

1. General Policy 2(i) of the IoMSP seeks to ensure that development does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety. The widening of the access, and the provision of segregated footpaths and crossing points would achieve that objective.

1. In all regards, I consider the proposal to be acceptable.

Recommendation

1. I recommend that Planning Approval be granted for alterations and improvements to the existing boundary wall and main entrance arrangement at the Isle of Man College, Homefield Road, Douglas, as shown on Drwg Nos P02 and P02 Rev A received on 4 March 2014, subject to the following condition:

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

Ruth MacKenzie BA(Hons) MRTPI Independent Inspector