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Application No.: 20/01530/B Applicant: Mr Keith McCulloch Proposal: Conversion of guest house (class 3.1) to provide four residential apartments (class 3.4) Site Address: 16 Belmont Terrace Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 4NH Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 07.07.2021 _________________________________________________________________
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
Reason: To comply with Article 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2, Housing Policy 17 and Transport Policy 7 of the Strategic Plan.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the submitted documents, planning statement, and drawing no. 01, 02 as having been received on 16th December 2020, and drawing no. 04 as having been received on 2nd February 2021, and drawing no. 03 Rev 06 as having been received on 26th April 2021. _______________________________________________________________
It is recommended that the following Government Departments should not be given Interested Person Status on the basis that although they have made written submissions these do not relate to planning considerations:
D0I Flood Risk Management Division _____________________________________________________________________________
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is 16 Belmont Terrace, Circular Road, Douglas, a four-storey midterrace dwelling located on the north of Circular Road, close to its junction with Peel Road. The site is being used as a guesthouse at the moment. There is rear access off Hillside Terrace, used by both vehicle and pedestrian. - 1.2 Circular Road is a two-way road with double-yellow line on both sides and along most parts of the road. There is no provision of off-street parking at the front of any residential property along the road.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The planning application seeks approval for the change of use of the building from a guest house (Class 3.1) to four flats (Class 3.4). - 2.2 The proposed flat all have a lounge at the front elevation. The ground-floor and thirdfloor flat have one bedroom and the first-floor and second floor flat have two bedrooms. All flats has a bathroom. The ground-floor and first-floor flat has an individual kitchen while the second-floor and third-floor flat have a kitchen as part of the lounge. - 2.3 The proposal include 4 Sheffield bike stands at the back of the ground floor, which can accommodate eight pushbike. They are connected to the rear lane with the existing door on the rear boundary. The bin storage space is at the back of the first floor. - 2.4 The proposal also includes the installation of a new entrance door on the wall of the rear boundary to improve access to bin storage.
3.1 Conversion of former guest house into four apartments was APPROVED under PA 17/00005/B. The current application has added bin and cycling storage space as well adjusted room allocation to improve residential amenities. - 4.0 PLANNING POLICY
4.1 In terms of the local plan, the site is designated as Predominately Residential in the Area Plan for the East.
4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: - 4.3 General Policy 2: "Development which is in accordance wdith 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:
4.4 Housing Policy 17 states: "The conversion of buildings into flats will generally be permitted in residential areas provided that:
4.4 Transport Policy 7: "The Department will require that in all new development, parking provision must be in accordance with the Department's current standards. The current standards are set out in Appendix 7." - 4.5 Appendix 7.1: "High levels of car ownership have led to an increase in the level of parking expected for residential development, and outside of town centre locations, these standards should not be relaxed. New-built residential development should be provided with two parking spaces per dwelling, at least one of which should be within the curtilage of the dwelling and behind the front of the dwelling …… the Department will consider reducing this requirement having regard to:
4.6 Appendix 7.1 continues: "Where new dwellings are created by the conversion of existing buildings, parking space should be formed by the clearance of outbuildings and low-grade annexes or 'outlets' if it is reasonable and practicable so to do. However, in general, the need to find a use for redundant buildings which are in sound condition will outweigh the drawback of any shortfall in parking provision." - 4.7 Appendix 7.6 states apartments should have "1 space for 1 bedroom; 2 spaces for 2 or more bedrooms." For guest house, there should be "1 space for every guest bedroom" it also states in urban locations stands maybe relaxed as (d). - 4.8 Appendix 7.6 also states: "These standards may be relaxed where development:
5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objections to this application (30/04/2021) after their request of improving bin storage and layout of the ground floor being met. The comment specifically point out the improvement to bin storage would also help improve the bin collection process for the terrace.
5.2 DoI Highway Services requested additional information on this site (21/01/2021). The comment states that although within an urban location, with limited number of on-street parking available and increased number of parking requires (from dwelling to flats), the
6.1 The key considerations for this application are the suitability of the location for flats, its impact on the amenities of its occupants, on parking provision, and on the character and street scene of the area.
Suitability of the Site
6.2 The site is located in a residential area. The Area Plan for the East has designated the area as Predominantly Residential. The proposal fits within the designation and is therefore acceptable. Residential Amenities - 6.3 According to Douglas Borough Council, the proposed bin storage is not only an improvement to the existing, but also helps improves the bin collection for the whole terrace. Therefore, it is considered that refuse storage provision is acceptable. - 6.4 There are four proposed flats. Each of them has a lounge at the front elevation of the building. A lounge is considered a primary room in the Residential Design guide, and the outlook of the front elevation is other terrace, road and a car park, which is not unusual consider its proximity close to town centre. Therefore, is considered that the outlook for the flats are acceptable. Parking - 6.5 According to Appendix 7.6 of the Strategic Plan, the proposed dwelling would need seven parking spaces. However, there is no specific parking to be allocated for this development. Whilst there is undoubtedly pressure on kerbside parking in the vicinity, comparing to the existing use as Guest House which requires twelve parking spaces, there is a significant reduction in the amount of parking space required. - 6.6 In addition, the site is close to existing public transport link and within walking distance to town centre and a variety of amenities, meaning further relaxation of parking standard is acceptable. Combining the provision of cycling storage, it is considered that the impact on onstreet parking is acceptable. Visual Amenities - 6.7 The entrance door installation is considered to have a neutral impact on the character and street scene of the area as it is at the rear land and not readily visible to the public.
7.1 For the reasons that the proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2, Housing Policy 17 and Transport Policy 7 of the Strategic Plan, it is recommended for an approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 16.07.2021 Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner
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