Creation of a car park and amenity woodland (comprising amendments to 05/92367/B)

Why Was This Approved?

• ✓Minor amendments to an extant planning permission with no increase in overall impact
• ✓Car park increases provision from 2 disabled spaces to 31 spaces for the conference centre
• ✓Footbridge over River Neb provides safe pedestrian access without using Poortown Road
• ✓Reduced encroachment into adjacent woodland compared to the previously approved layout
• ✓Block paving surface finish replacing chippings in bitmac
• ✓highways
• ✓access
• ✓Highways Division does not oppose

The former depot site off Poortown Road is a vacant plot that had been used informally for parking. The proposal was to formalise and expand this into a 31-space car park with block paving, new planting, and a pedestrian footbridge over the River Neb giving safe access to the St Johns Mill Conference Centre on the opposite bank. The conference centre currently has only two disabled parking spaces and its permitted use is restricted to meeting rooms for religious groups, registered charities, and similar organisations. This application amended an extant permission (05/92367/B) in three relatively minor ways: the car park boundary was adjusted to reduce encroachment into the adjacent woodland; the footbridge was repositioned further east to connect with the lane serving the conference centre and Tynwald Mills; and the surface finish was changed from chippings in bitmac to block paviours.

The changes to the previously approved scheme were judged minor and would not increase the development's impact. The car park addresses a clear parking shortfall at the conference centre, reduces on-street parking, and the new footbridge improves pedestrian safety. The Highways Division did not oppose the proposal, and the design details for the bridge, lighting bollards, and gazebo were all found acceptable.

Policies Assessed (1)

Planning History (3)

Documents (11)