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This application is recommended for consideration by the Planning Committee rather than under delegated powers due to the scale of the development.
The application site comprises part of the former Isle of Man Holiday Camp located off Switzerland Road and Victoria Road. The site is not located within a Conservation Area. The site is zoned for Offices, with a particular annotation of Business Park, within the Douglas Local Plan 1998.
This application is seeking to planning permission to construct a new office development consisting of 4 No. 2 storey office blocks with vehicular access, new vehicle parking and new drainage system.
Each of the buildings will be 13.4m in length and 23.2m in width. The height of the building will be 9.5m to the ridge. The will have concrete tiles in slate grey colour. The buildings will have traditional render and Manx stone finishes to the walls. There are elements of curtain walling to the corners of each of the blocks to provide a contemporary "business park" appearance. All windows and curtain walling will be finished with a contemporary dark grey coating.
A electrical substation will also be erected on the site.
Within the adopted Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, the following policies are considered to be relevant in the determination of this application: General Policy 2, Business Policy 7 and Transport Policies 4 and 7
Business Policy 7 states that "New office floor space should be located within town and village centres on land which is zoned for the purpose on the appropriate area plan; exceptionally, permission may be given for new office space
Transport Policy 4 states that "The new and existing highways which serve any new development must be designed so as to be capable of accommodating the vehicle and pedestrian journeys generated by that development in a safe and appropriate manner, and in accordance with the environmental objectives of this plan."
Transport Policy 7 states that "The Department will require that in all new development, parking provision must be in accordance with the Department's current standards."
There have been a number of applications on the site, which are considered relevant in the consideration of this application:
09/01977/B – Erection of four office units with associated car parking, drainage, and landscaping – application withdrawn 09/01976/A – Approval in principle for the erection of five office units – application withdrawn. 98/01282/B – Erection of office building with two apartments, car parking and new access road – granted 30th November 1998 89/01503/B – Masterplan of business technology park – granted 88/00946/A – Approval in principle to business science park and hotel and associated car parking – granted
Public Works Committee of Douglas Borough Council have not objected to the application.
Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure have made the following comments:
1) The Transport Assessment has demonstrated that the traffic generation of the application is acceptable
2) The Transport Assessment has correctly set out the car parking standard required and the application meets this standard. 3) The visibility splays both from the site onto Switzerland Road and Switzerland Road onto Victoria Road are acceptable 4) The Transport Assessment has failed to demonstrate that the application site can be accessed by service vehicles particularly refuse vehicles. The junction of Victoria Road and Switzerland Road should be realigned to facilitate refuse vehicles entering and leaving the junction on the correct side of the road. 5) The Transport Assessment has relied upon United Kingdom policy and guidance rather than Isle of Man Strategic Plan to ascertain sustainability. 6) The Transport Assessment has not established the public transport links to the site 7) The Transport Assessment has not established the walking and cycling distances to the site with specific isochrones that take cognizance of the terrain.
The Highway Division recommended that "The application should be refused on the grounds that it is not possible for service vehicles to access the application site in a safe an appropriate manner in contravention of General Policy 2 sub paragraphs (h) & (i) and Transport Policy 4 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan"
Standard comments have been received from the Manx Electricity Authority regarding the supply of electricity.
Standard comments have been received from Drainage Services section of Douglas Borough Council.
The main issues in respect of this application are 1) the land use zoning of the site; 2) highway/parking issues and 3) visual amenity. The following paragraphs deal with these issues in the above order.
The development is compatible with the land use zoning of the area, which is offices within the Douglas Local Plan. It is considered the principle of developing the site for office use to be acceptable in this locality; however, there are other material considerations to be taken into account in order to determine whether the proposed development is acceptable.
In respect of parking provision, the proposed development would be classed as an out of town office development and therefore the most appropriate standard within the Strategic Plan to be used would be 1 space for every 15 square metres of nett floor space. The proposed development will provide approximately 1833.68 square metres of nett floor space. This would equate to 122 spaces. The office blocks will have courtyard car parking for 80 cars and an overspill car park for a further 42 spaces, with footpaths providing safe access for pedestrians within the site. The total number of spaces being provided within the development will be 122 spaces. The development accords with the provisions of the Strategic Plan.
The applicants are also proposing to provide cycle racks and motorcycle spaces, so as to encourage users of the site to travel by alternative means of transport.
In respect of Highway Issues, the Highway Division are concerned that the Transport Assessment has failed to demonstrate that the application site can be accessed by service vehicles particularly refuse vehicles. The junction of Victoria Road and Switzerland Road should be realigned to facilitate refuse vehicles entering and leaving the junction on the correct side of the road. The applicant Highway Engineers have been in discussions with the Highways Division and are now proposing to alter the kerb line so as to improve access for service vehicles. The Highways Division have indicated verbally that the highway improvement would be acceptable; however, a formal response will be provided prior to the Committee Meeting. The proposed highway works are all within the highway. It is
recommended that a Grampian condition be attached to the planning permission requiring the works to be carried out prior to the development commencing on site.
In respect of the visual impact of the development on the general locality, the proposed development would not look out of character within a Business Park setting. The buildings are two storeys in height and will be set approximately 8-10m away from Victoria Road and approximately 10-13m away from Switzerland Road. The proposed buildings are relatively modest in scale and makes use of modern materials. There are a line of trees running along the boundary of the site fronting onto Victoria Road. The plans indicate that the trees are to be retained, which will help to go some way to obscure the proposed development. The existing site is currently a vacant site and is in need of being redeveloped, as the site does not make a positive contribution to the visual amenities of the locality.
It is recommended that that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.
The local authority is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.
The Highways 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.
The Manx Electricity Authority has commented on non-planning matters and as such should not be afforded party status
Following consideration of the Case Officers at the 7th July 2011 Planning Committee meeting, the Committee passed a resolution to granted planning permission subject to conditions.
The Committee amended condition 8 by replacing "planning authority" with "Planning Authority". They also inserted "been" between "have" and "taken".
Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of Recommendation: 28.06.2011
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
C 1.
The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
This permission relates to the erection of four office units with associated car parking, drainage and hard and soft landscaping works, as shown in drawing numbers B101 Rev D, B102 Rev C, B104 Rev A, B105 Rev A, B106, B107, O5 Rev A, 06 and M125 Rev A date stamped 11th February 2011, Planning Stage Drainage Design report prepared by MacOwan Collett dated December 2009, Parking Strategy and Travel Plan prepared by McGarrigle and Jackson dated February 2011, Planning Statement prepared by McGarrigle and Jackson dated February 2011, Transport Assessment prepared by Sanderson Associates dated 10th February 2011, Letter from Mr B Greenwood of Sanderson Associates dated 27th May 2011 with drawing numbers 5741/004 Rev A, 5741/005 Rev A and 5741/006, B103 Rev F date stamped 28th June 2011
The buildings hereby permitted shall not be occupied until the vehicular access and pedestrian means of access have been constructed in accordance with the approved plans. Those means of access shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their respective purposes.
The building hereby permitted shall not be occupied until the car-parking and manoeuvring areas have been provided in accordance with the approved plans, and those areas shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their respective purposes.
No building works shall take place until the kerb line alteration, as shown in drawing number 5741/006, has been carried out.
Prior to the installation of the cycle racks, details of the racks shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and thereafter, the racks shall be installed in accordance with the approved details. The racks must provide adequate cover.
Prior to the commencement of the office buildings, samples of the facing and roofing materials shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and thereafter the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved samples.
No development or other operations shall be commenced on this site until adequate steps, which shall have been previously approved in writing by the Planning Authority, have been taken to safeguard against damage or injury during construction works all trees on the site, or those trees whose root structure may extend within the site. In particular no excavations, site works, trenches or channels shall be cut or pipes or services laid or any other works carried out in such a way as to cause damage or injury to the trees by interference with their root structure and no soil or waste shall be deposited on the land in such a position as to be likely to cause damage or injury to the trees.
No development shall take place until full details of both hard and soft landscaping works have been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority and those works shall be carried out as approved. Details of hard landscaping works shall include boundary treatment, footpaths, driveways and hard surfacing materials. The hard landscaping works shall be completed in full accordance with the approved details within 3 months of the first occupation of the residential units hereby permitted; and all planting shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details in the first planting and seeding seasons following that first occupation. Any tree or shrub which within 5
years from the completion of the development dies, is removed or becomes seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with another of similar size and species, unless the planning authority gives written consent to any variation.
The existing trees on site, other than those indicated to be removed on the approved drawings, shall not be cut down, grubbed out, topped, lopped or uprooted without the written consent of the Planning Authority. In the event that a tree should be removed without consent or should die, become seriously damaged or diseased within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development, it shall be replaced in the next planting season with another similar species in the same location, unless the Planning Authority has given written consent to any variation.
Each office unit shall provide for at least one communal shower unit and that shower unit must be retained for in perpetuity.
For the avoidance of doubt, the buildings shall be used only as Offices, which fall within Class 4 of Schedule 4 of the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2005.
I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the Town and Country (Development Procedure) 2005
Decision Made : Granted Committee Meeting Date : 7/7/11
Signed : T. Brode Presenting Officer
Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason is required. Signing Officer to delete as appropriate
YES/NO
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