Loading document...
01 SEP 2015
DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Proposal: Erection of 2no. two storey dwellings with integral garages The Site: Plot of land adjacent to Ballaghreiney, Station Road, Port St. Mary, Isle of Man IM9 5LF Applicant: Mr. Julian Driver & Mrs. Andrea Driver
1.0 The Site 2.0 Relevant Planning Approval 3.0 New Planning Application 4.0 Highways 5.0 Drainage 6.0 Services 7.0 Trees 8.0 Planning Consultation
Appendix I - Photographs
The site is situated off Station Road, Port St. Mary and is accessed by the vehicular lane between the railway station and the public house. It lies between the applicant's existing private residence, Ballaghreiney, and the former gas works site.
The site is owned by the applicant and is currently used by their company, J.D. Landscapes, as a works depot, storage and parking facility.
The site is not generally viewed from the main junction off Station Road as the hotel and station buildings screen the site. However, it can be seen in the distance from several locations across the adjacent farm fields.
There are several mature sycamore trees along the northern boundary that have been shown on the site plans. The majority of the site is clear open space. See photographs in Appendix I
2.0 Relevant Planning Approval (Ref: 14/00357/A)
In 2014, Haven Homes submitted an application for new housing on the combined J.D.Landsapes site and former gas works site. The Approval in Principle application was for the erection of 23 dwellings. Approval was granted at Appeal on 8th October 2014.
The approved layout indicates a total of 4no. dwellings on the J.D.Landscapes part of the site, with a new private access drive serving the proposed dwellings and the existing house, Ballaghreiney.
The existing Approval in Principle has already established the change of use of the current applicant's site from light industrial zoning to residential.
3.0 New Planning Application
This new application seeks to develop the applicant's site independently of that proposed by Haven Homes Ltd. The proposal reduces the number of houses on the applicant's land from the approved 4no. small dwellings to 2no. more substantial dwellings.
The site plan for the current Approval in Principle shows that there is a clear separation of housing on each of the plots. Developing the applicant's land independently would have minimal impact on the former gas works site, which would still be able to accommodate 19 houses, parking and public open space. The layout of the houses and the roadway would remain as per the approved site layout.
4.0 Highways
The existing visibility at the junction on to Station Road is good in both directions (approximately 90 metres) with clear visibility splays over roadside pavements and unobstructed by buildings or walls. The speed limit along the main road is 30mph.
This new scheme reduces the number of approved houses on this part of the site from four down to two properties. As a result, this reduces the proposed number of vehicles accessing the site via the existing lane off Station Road.
The scheme still provides a new 4.8m wide shared private drive off the existing lane, as per the Approval in Principle. This will serve the existing house, Ballaghreiney, and the two new dwellings.
On-site parking is provided on both of the proposed plots. Plot 1 provides a double garage with external parking for up to 4 cars. Plot 2 provides a single garage with external parking for 2 cars.
5.0 Drainage
Existing mains foul drainage is provided along the lane to serve Ballaghreiney and the adjacent railway and hotel buildings. This connects to the main sewer in Station Road. A separate foul drain from the proposed dwellings will connect to the main sewer via a new inspection chamber in the lane.
Surface water will drain to soakaways or a rainwater harvesting system contained within the site boundaries. There is also an opportunity to connect into the new surface water drains proposed as part of the adjacent Haven Homes development. This would be dependent on programming and the relevant permissions.
6.0 Services
The principle of connecting the site to new services e.g. electricity, water & Telecoms has been considered as part of the current Approval in Principle. Mains services are available along Station Road and already extend along the lane to serve the existing dwelling at Ballaghreiney and the former gas works site.
7.0 Trees
A tree survey has been carried out and the trees are shown on the existing and proposed site plans. There is a line of mature self-seeded sycamores along the northern boundary. Two trees, numbered 2 & 3, are to be removed to form the private access drive serving the new dwellings, as per the current Approval in Principle.
The applicant has previously consulted with Mr. Peter Keenan of the Forestry Division, and there were no issues with removing these two trees. In addition Mr. Keenan had no objection to the remaining trees being cut back as necessary where there are large limbs overhanging the site. The applicant has a current license to carry out this work.
The original application submitted by Haven Homes indicated a row of trees along the eastern boundary between the current applicant's site and the former gas works site. Of the 6 sycamore trees along that boundary, 4 were small and straggly and 2 were mature but showing evidence of rot and die back in some of the limbs. Overall the trees were not healthy specimens and Mr. Keenan was satisfied that these trees could be felled. This work was carried out several months ago.
8.0 Planning Consultation
The planning officer has been consulted to provide pre-application advice and is generally in favour of the new scheme. The two proposed dwellings act as transition from the railway and hotel buildings to the more high density housing proposed by the Haven Homes development.
The planning officer suggested that the proposed dwellings should, if possible, take reference from the design and details of the adjacent station and hotel so that they form a more coherent collection of buildings. Accordingly the proposed design of the new dwellings has taken some elements of the those buildings such as steep roofs, arches, canopies, bay windows etc and adapted them to be suitable in a domestic context. Materials chosen also reflect those used on the adjacent buildings e.g. slate roof, stonework, rendered walls etc.
Before submitting the application, and in response to further pre-application advice, additional refinements were made to provide deeper bargeboards as well as a rendered chimney stack to the house on Plot 1.
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal
