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Department of Planning Department of Infrastructure Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2SF
8th December 2014 Dear Sir / Madam, Re: Proposed construction of a MEA substation and changes of house type (previously approved by PA 13/91392/B), Cronk Cullyn, Colby The following information is provided in support of this detailed planning application.
The proposed site is part of an overall larger site which was recently granted planning permission for 60 dwellings (Cronk Cullyn - PA13/91392/B) including 18 affordable units, 3 of which are in lieu of provisions for our Ballakillowey site (PA13/91367/B). The proposed site is located to the northern edge of the overall site and consist of the area of previously approved plots 56 and 57 as indicated in brackets on the site plan. The plot numbers not in brackets are the ‘working plot references’.
AS APPROVED SITE PLAN
A previous planning approval, PA01/02111, granted planning approval for 18 dwellings with no provision for affordable homes. This planning approval was commenced.
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The proposed works are made up of the following elements;
| Existing | 2 no. 5 bed dwellings |
| Proposed | 3 no. 4 bed dwellings |
Following the granting of planning approval for PA13/91367/B we have been in discussions with the MEA to finalise their supply to the approved development and now, having carried out a full network analysis, they have asked us to provide a substation as part of our development.
Given the routes of the MEA cable and their plans for resilience between existing developments, the only location where the substation can be provided is on the northern boundary of our land, along the route of the main HV cable. Given that PA13/91367/B made best use of the available land, to find sufficient space on which to construct a substation would invariably impact on the approved layout of dwellings in this area of the site. Following various layout options it has been established that the best location for the substation is on the plot of approved house no 56 as it is central to our site and adjoining area, and provides access for maintenance vehicles for installation of plant.
The substation has been positioned to be out with the canopy of existing trees.
The provision of the substation impacts on and compromises the dwelling currently approved for Plot 56 which we could only access from the side as illustrated above. The substation would render the house garage inaccessible. Presently we have taken sales on all 4 bedroom homes while the larger 5 bedroom homes have been selling much slower (only 2 reserved so far). We actually have a waiting list for the four bedroom homes and would like to remove both of the large 5 bed houses on plots 56 and 57 and replace these with three smaller, four bed homes, which we can sell straight away to meet demand.
Overall built floor areas will be similar for the three smaller homes as the 2 larger homes and there will be additional separation and greater set back from the road achieved so we think it helps the scheme in all regards.
The following illustrates the currently approved and proposed street elevation. The style and finishes of the proposed houses are similar to those already approved for the site.
AS APPROVED STREET ELEVATION
This planning application will result in a total number of 61 dwellings on the overall development.
The Isle of Man Strategic Plan states that 25% of dwellings should normally be provided as affordable units. We believe the provision of affordable units on the extant planning approval (PA13/91367/B) represents an over provision of affordable units and the addition of 1no. unit should not impact on the total number of affordable units to be provided.
A smaller number of affordable units could have been provided for the extant planning approval if the following calculation were adopted;
From the three alternative ways of calculating the number of affordable units above, it can be seen that the increase from 60 to 61 total units should not alter the total number of units to be provided on the overall site.
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The proposed provision of the new MEA substation will not only benefit this development but will also improve the resilience of the MEA infrastructure in the area and provide added capacity for their system. Making space for the substation has impacted on the approved layout of dwellings and this application 'kills two birds' by proposing smaller dwellings for which there is higher demand. The proposed layout sets the properties further back from the highway which should result in minimal additional visual impact.
We trust that this information is of use in the determination of this planning application but should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the writer.
Yours faithfully,
George Li
For and on behalf of Hartford Homes
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