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in respect of
Appendix I Site Photographs
1.1. Conister is a three storey dwelling located on Hillberry Road in Onchan. The site is bounded to the north west, north east and south east, by the following private dwellings respectively: Weyham, 12 and 12A Birch Hill Grove, and The Haven. and to the south west by Hillberry Road. 1.2. The existing dwelling comprises two full height storeys, with a second storey within the roof space. The roof of the dwelling is of hipped configuration. The second storey room has a flat roofed dormer in the north facing roof slope. A bay window and dormer projects from the western end of the south facing elevation. A small balcony with a solid balustrade also projects from the south elevation. There is a garage with a hipped lean-to roof abutting the west side of the house. 1.3. The construction of the dwelling comprises rendered and dashed masonry walls, clay plain tiled roof, metal rainwater goods and uPVC framed double glazed entrance door, side and top lights, and timber framed windows. 1.4. The site is entered from Hillberry Road via an opening in the low south western boundary wall. There is currently insufficient room within the site to turn a car and drive forward onto the highway.
2.1. No relevant previous Planning approvals can be found for the site.
3.1. The site is in an area designated "Predominantly Residential" in the Douglas Local Plan (1998). The site is not within a Conservation Area, and the property is not a Registered Building. 3.2. The following parts of General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan (2016) are considered to be relevant to the assessment of this application: "Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development: (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (f) incorporates where possible existing topography and landscape features, particularly trees and sod banks;
(g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; (h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space; (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; (j) can be provided with all necessary services; (k) does not prejudice the use or development of adjoining land in accordance with the appropriate Area Plan;" 3.3. Environment Policy 42 is also considered to be relevant: "New development in existing settlements must be designed to take account of the particular character and identity, in terms of buildings and landscape features of the immediate locality. Inappropriate backland development, and the removal of open or green spaces which contribute to the visual amenity and sense of place of a particular area will not be permitted. Those open or green spaces which are to be preserved will be identified in Area Plans." 3.4. The proposals will also be assessed against the Department's Residential Design Guidance (July 2019).
4.1. The proposed development is illustrated in drawings 2007_001 and 2007_003. 4.2. The alterations to the site vehicular access, and new parking and turning areas within the site, have been discussed and agreed with the Highways Development Control Officer.
4.3.1. The purpose of converting the existing hipped roof into a gabled roof, and modification of the existing bay window and dormer, is to maximize space on the south facing roof slope for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels for electricity generation. Installation of PV panels, in conjunction with the installation of an air source heat pump, will enable the applicants to reduce, and hopefully in time eliminate, their use of fossil fuel for heating and hot water, as well as producing significant savings in energy costs. 4.3.2. The changes to the roof will result in a roof configuration that is traditional in character and in keeping with the design of the other houses in the immediate vicinity. The roofs of the nearby dwellings
comprise a mix of hipped and gabled roofs, so a gabled roof is considered to be appropriate for the area.
4.4.1. The existing solid balustrade is not considered to be a noteworthy feature of the existing building and is lower than is required by current Building Regulations, nor is its replacement with a glass balustrade considered to impact negatively on the appearance of the existing dwelling or the character of the area. 4.4.2. The introduction of a glass balustrade will not increase any effect of overlooking that the existing may already produce.
4.5.1. It is acknowledged that flat roofed dormers are not favoured in the Residential Design Guidance, and that the proposed dormer is larger than the existing. However, the new dormer is on the rear facing roof slope and will not easily be seen from the highway, and it is considered that it will not adversely affect the townscape. 4.5.2. The new dormer will also not have an adverse effect on the amenity of the neighbouring properties in terms of visual impact, being visible at a distance of over fourteen meters and nineteen meters from Weyham and 12 \&12A Birch Hill Grove respectively. 4.5.3. Furthermore, the area of the new window opening serving the habitable room (i.e. the second floor bedroom) is significantly smaller than the area of the existing window, and therefore any effect of overlooking the neighbours is reduced. Therefore it is considered that the new dormer will not have an adverse effect on the amenity of the neighbouring properties in terms of overlooking.
4.6.1. The purpose of this system is to improve the thermal efficiency of the house. The system will comprise rigid insulation fixed to the face of the walls of the house, finished with render and dash. The existing window sills will be covered with powder coated or GRP over sills, and the depth of the external window reveals will be increased. The existing metal rainwater goods and soil and waste water pipes will be removed and replaced with new in uPVC. The existing dashed render finish is dull and unattractive and new external render and dash will uplift the appearance of the property and the area.
4.7. The proposals are considered to be in accordance with the relevant parts of the quoted Planning Policies and the Residential Design Guidance.
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