22 August 2014 · Delegated
Royal British Legion Garden Of Remembrance, Bay View Road, Port St Mary, Isle Of Man, IM9 5dw
The proposal involved alterations to the entrance of the Garden of Remembrance, a prominent public site in Port St. Mary. The key change was a widening of the access opening to improve accessibility, particularly for people using pushchairs or wheelchairs. Works within the garden included new attractive paving, an increased area of grass, railings allowing views through to the sea and harbour, and a bronze poppy screen. The officer assessed that while widening the entrance would have some visual impact on the streetscape, this was offset by the improved appearance of the site itself, with the paving and additional grass softening the overall effect. The internal works were judged to enhance the character of the memorial site, emphasising the flagpole and memorial without harming the streetscene.
The application was approved because the works were consistent with the site's land use designation and would enhance an important public space in a prominent village location. The visual impact of the widened entrance was considered acceptable, offset by attractive paving, additional grass, and the improved character of what is visible within the site. The bronze poppy screen and railings were judged appropriate and beneficial features for a memorial garden.
Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted
ned, well managed with a good walking surface, within or close to towns and villages. Types of community, educational and health facilities vary considerably from community centres, schools and GP surgeries to police, fire and ambulance services. They form an essential network of support and are basic requirements for the underpinning of sustainable communities. Without basic services, communities tend to lack a sense of belonging and places tend to be little more than groups or estates of housing. Many of the schools in the East contribute towards indoor and outdoor sports provision and halls can be multi-purpose out of school hours. This need for a possible new school has been recognised in Baldrine and it is recognised that there may in the future need to be additional provision to serve additional development in the future on the edge of Douglas and Onchan. Development Brief DBH002g recognises a need to take account of need for a replacement Braddan School. For this reason, Strategic Reserve Sites will need to take both education and community facilities into account before release. Assessment of current open space and community facilities Table 15 sets out the key facilities in each Local Authority Area. The table illustrates the tendency for smaller settlements to have lower levels of community facilities and formal sports provision. It also highlights on a basic level deficits in existing provision helping give focus to where additional investment may need to be focused. Open Space and Community facilities - existing provision Type of land / amenity Douglas Laxey Onchan Braddan Marown Santon Lonan Amenity Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Places of Worship Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Burial Land Y N Y Y Y Y Y Child Care Y Y Y Y Y Y N Children's Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Outdoor Pitches Y Y Y Y Y N N Post Offices Y Y Y Y N N N Doctors and Dentists Y Y Y Y N N N Schools Y Y Y Y Y N N Skate Park/BMX Y Y N Y Y N N Allotments Y Y N N N Y Y* Golf Course Y N Y N N Y N Shooting Ranges N Y N Y N Y N Youth Club Y Y Y N N N N Sailing Y Y N Y N N N Equestrian Centres N N Y Y Y Y N Nursing Homes Y Y N N N N N Motorsport Y N N N N Y N Indoor Sports Facilities Y N Y N N N N *Laxey and Lonan allotment association within the boundary of Laxey Outdoor Recreation and Amenity Space The Community Audit records detailed information on recreation and amenity space. From this it is possible to analyse the data to determine if current provision is at an appropriate level given the population in the East. In order to create a benchmark against which the current provision can be assessed, the 'target' requirements for new residential developments are used. The Strategic Plan sets out minimum recreation open space standards per 1,000 head of population for new residential developments of 10 dwellings or more. These are as follows: Sports pitches 1.8 hectares/ 1,000 population Childrens' play space 0.6 hectares/ 1,000 population Amenity space 0.8 hectares/1,000 population Table 16 combines the separate Local Authority/Parish figures for the three categories of open space to give an overall figure for the East. For a comparison, figures have been benchmarked against the provisions required in the Strategic Plan 2016 to put the figures into context. Open Space and Recreation in the East - summary figures Douglas Braddan Onchan Laxey Lonan Marown Santon Isle of Man (East) Strategic Plan Target Difference Amenity 0.80 3.98 2.37 1.07 9.18 0.67 9.29 1.78 +0.98 Children's 0.03 0.06 0.17 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.07 0.06 -0.54 Outdoor Pitches 0.84 0.55 0.05 0.89 0.00 0.51 0.00 0.61 -1.19 Overall Supply 1.67 4.59 2.59 2.03 9.24 0.94 9.36 2.39 -0.75 The Table above showing open space and recreation figures demonstrate some deficits in provision across the local authority areas and highlights where new provision may need to be provided as part of future development schemes. For example, it shows that the East of the Island has a generally high level of amenity space but has a lower level of sports pitch provision. It is important to note that access to any kind of amenity space crosses Local Authority boundaries and residents living in one area may be regular users of amenities such as open space in neighbouring areas. In addition, these figures do not account for the differing demographics of each area and the population within distinct age groups has not been considered. Table 11 does not assess the usage of facilities or current sporting trends or outdoor pursuits that do not require sports pitches. Isle of Man Sport is conducting their own Island wide study as to existing sports provision and usage. Open Space and Community Proposal 1 Areas for residential growth identified in this Plan must take account of the needs for neighbourhood centres which will protect sufficient space for community health services and other social facilities. These could be provided within existing development, identified sites or on Strategic Reserve
Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area
Environment Policy 35: Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development. 7.30 Development adjacent to Conservation Areas 7.30.1 It is often the case that important views into and out of a Conservation Area can contribute significantly to its character. It is necessary to assess the impact any development adjacent to conservation areas may have on such views.
