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Application No.: 09/01655/R Applicant: Castletown Town Commissioners Proposal: Installation of four street lights Site Address: - Arbory Street - Castletown - Isle Of Man ### Considerations Case Officer: Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken: - Site Visit: - Expected Decision Level: - Senior Planning Officer ### Written Representations - Castletown Heritage 19 Queen Street Castletown - Objects to the proposal - 30 Arbory Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1LJ - Objects to the proposal ### Consultations Consultee: Highways Division Notes: Do not oppose has no traffic management, parking or road safety implications. Consultee: Castletown Commissioners Notes:**
The site represents a section of Arbory Street, on the northern side of the street between numbers 2 and 30, Arbory Street at the places where there were, relatively recently, wall mounted street lights. These have been replaced by standards with curved heads and downward facing lamps with the Castletown logo within the curve. Such lights have already been partly installed around Castletown within the Conservation Area. The standards are 6m high and the whole light is finished in black.
There are four lights, one in front of 2, Arbory Street, one in front of numbers 6 and 10, one in front of 18 and the last in front of 28 and 30, Arbory Street.
The site lies within Castletown's Conservation Area and within an area of Mixed Use on the Castletown Local Plan of 1991, the draft Castletown Local Plan of 2001 and the draft Southern Area Plan published on 23rd October, 2009.
No planning applications have been submitted in respect of this exact site although the buildings on the northern side of the street have been substantially altered in the recent works for Callow's Yard.
Now proposed is partly retrospective permission for the installation of lamps to match those already in the square. There are other styles of lighting within the town - for example there are three different types in the Old School House car park, none of which would appear to be original or particularly appropriate to the town. In this case the lighting is the same as that already in the square, thus there will be continuity in the town which is to be encouraged.
The scheme has resulted in the removal of older lighting within Arbory Street which perhaps is not preserving the character of the area, which the Strategic Plan and Planning Policy Statement 1/01 seeks to achieve. There is an existing light still in situ, alongside numbers 28 and 30, Arbory Street which is also to be replaced.
Castletown Heritage and the owner of 30, Arbory Street both object to the application on the basis that the regular form and appearance of the street lights and that they are removing existing lighting which they believe to be in working order and more authentic than those now proposed.
As the application is located within the lower part of Arbory Street within the Castletown Conservation Area, the content of this application has been considered with particular regard to Policy CA/2 SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS of Conservation Areas, as set out within Planning Policy Statement 1/01- Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man.
This is a difficult application to comment on as there is little in the way of information relating to the lamp fittings that have been replaced and the accurate location of the proposed lamp standards.
In order to properly consider this application, it was considered prudent to investigate the type and location of fittings in an around this part of Castletown which lead to some interesting and perhaps helpful discoveries. Whilst not within the scope of this application, Compton House, Registered Building No. 65 situated on the corner of Castle Street and Parliament Square and numbers 2, 3/5 and 17 Malew Street had similar wall mounted light fittings to that attached to No. 30 Arbory Street. In the case of Compton House the fitting has been removed in recent times without apparent approvals, although the fittings at numbers 2, 3/5 and 17 Malew Street remain.
It is also clear from perusal of archive photographs, that there is and has been for some time, a diversity of light fitting styles and fitting location (wall mounted and column mounted) and some were correspondingly more successful than others. Recent replacement of utilitarian 'municipal' style lamp standards has taken place in Castletown with Georgian/Victorian style column based units in various guises from single headed lamps to twin headed lamps, more recently with 'goose necked' variants.
In carrying out this appraisal of light fittings, it is apparent that the character of lighting in and around the Castletown Conservation Area is and was, eclectic at best. It is in part that fact that may be the issue with this application. The 'goose necked' lamp standards proposed within this application are with the exception of the addition of the town shield and motto, 'generic' across the Island. The fairly recent replacement of the standards in the Parade could be considered to set a precedent in the area immediately adjacent to the location of this application however; the character of Arbory Street is clearly different to that of The Parade. The Parade is a large, urban open space whereas Arbory Street is a relatively tight street. The lighting requirements are arguably different for the two areas and could be reflected in the manner and scale in which they are lit.
It is understood from involvement with previous schemes in other Conservation Areas, that Local Authorities and the M.E.A. are making concerted efforts to move away from wall mounted fittings as these have caused various problems with property owners due to damage caused to their properties whilst actually fitting and maintaining those fittings.
However, it is difficult not disagree with the occupier of 30 Arbory Street, regarding the lamp fitting affixed to the wall of No. 30 Arbory Street which is particularly well detailed. Whether or not it is an original Georgian lamp is highly doubtful however, it could certainly be considered that it adds to the character of that part of the Conservation Area, especially in conjunction with the remaining wall mounted fittings at numbers 2, 3/5 and 17 Malew Street.
Perusal of photographs in the conservation archive indicates that the wall mounted lamp located further down Arbory Street was a fairly uninspiring 'municipal' style fitting from 1950's and of little historic interest. Replacement of that particular fitting is not in itself therefore detrimental to the character of the conservation area, although the replacement of the fitting in a manner more akin to that attached to No. 30 Arbory Street may be more successful.
Having consideration of the above, and perhaps with the exception of the fitting attached to No. 30 Arbory Street, this application is not therefore considered to have a detrimental impact on the character of the Conservation Area within which it is located and is therefore acceptable.
Given the owner of No. 30's comments regarding the retention of the wall mounted lamp fitting to his property, consideration should be given by the Local Authority and/or the MEA to the retention and re-use of this particular fitting.
The applicant has now agreed to retain this light but still seeks permission for the replacement of the other three outside numbers 2, 8/10 and 16/18, Arbory Street where the original lights have already been removed. This is considered acceptable for the above reasons.
The introduction of a consistent style of street lighting is to be commended within the town. However this should not be at the expense of the removal of existing fittings of historical importance which is the case with one of the lights. The compromise reached in replacing only those where the original is no longer in place at this time, is considered acceptable.
The Department of Transport and the local authority are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.
The owner of 30, Arbory Street is directly alongside one of the lights and as such should be afforded party status in this instance.
Castletown Heritage are not directly affected by the proposals and as such should not be afforded party status
Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of Recommendation: 18.02.2010
This permission relates to the replacement of three streetlights outside numbers 2, 8/10 and 16/18, Arbory Street as shown and described in the information and photographs received on 9th October, 2009.
FOR CLARIFICATION, NO PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE EXISTING WALL-MOUNTED STREET LIGHT OUTSIDE NUMBERS 28/30, ARBORY STREET.
I confirm that this decision accords with Government Circular No 09/09 Delegation of functions, 10/09 Delegation of Functions (Development Procedure), GC No 11/09 (Advertisements) and GC No 12/09 (Registered Buildings) all to the Senior Planning Officer
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 18 February 2010 Signed : [Signature] Senior Planning Officer
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