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Design | Management | Construction
SUPPORTING INFORMATION FOR PLANNING APPLICATION ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date 31th March 2021 REV A ________________________________________________________________________________________________
INTRODCUTION
The Applicants, Foraging Vintners, would like to apply for a temporary events area for a beach bar and café in the courtyard of the currently closed and unused Cosy Nook Courtyard. They had the support of local commissioners and the government for a similar use for 4 weeks in summer 2020, but without a marquee, and the aspiration is to have a slightly more organised, but still temporary set up throughout the summer season in 2021 and ideally also in 2022 and 2023, should the site still be available.
The existing Cosy Nook Beach Café closed in May 2019 after a structural engineer recommended areas of the building should no longer be used and it has been closed and unoccupied since. In 2020, plans for the demolition of the existing building and a larger replacement building were submitted and, while supported by the commissioners who do want to see the site used and attract visitors to Port Erin, the Government issued a temporary preservation notice in December 2020 to safeguard the building until it is determined if the Cosy Nook building should be included in the register of protected buildings on the Isle of Man. This process is ongoing in March 2021. The site of the Cosy Nook Café is owned by Port Erin Commissioners who are supportive of these proposals. The beach area is owned by the Isle of Man Government, but leased by the Port Erin Commissioners.
The below Images shows the building in its context and current condition.
The applicant proposes to use the courtyard area of the existing Cosy Nook Cafe as a temporary beach bar & café and events space, similarly to the Beach Bar they had set up for 4 weeks in Summer 2020 under the playful name of ‘Playa Del Vintners‘ which proved very popular.
A temporary marquee will be erected on the concrete hard-standing between the existing cafe and the WC facilities and a temporary timber decking will level the varying stepped area to the north of the courtyard which is currently fenced off as can be seen in the image above. Timber steps will provide access to the beach which will be used for additional seating.
The proposed marque would have a size of approx. 6m x 8m, which would allow it to sit between the existing buildings without attaching to them and an image of a similar marquee type is shown below for illustration. The marquee would be open sided to comply with fire regulations for licensing purposes.
The applicant has permission from the commissioners to use the existing extension to the Cosy Nook Building as a preparation and storage are and the existing servery window as a main counter for the bar and café to serve from. This part of the building is therefore included within the application boundary. The applicant will also maintain the existing public WCs for the duration of the event. The marquee would include some sheltered seating with the majority of the seating being located outside at both courtyard and beach level.
This set up is illustrated on drawing 2015-PL-003 which shows the proposed plan layout. Seating would be limited to be within the site boundary indicated on the above drawing and is similar to the area used in summer 2020 and a demarcation line would be set up in line with licensing agreements. The beach area, which is under separate ownership by the Isle of Man Government but under a lease agreement would, during operating hours of the beach bar, not be available for general public use and the planning application includes the temporary change of use of the beach area.
The timber decking would again be temporary and primarily assist with dealing with the stepped and varied site levels in this area which may otherwise become trip hazards. It would also be the base of a step over construction over the existing each wall allowing steps to access the beach area seating without having to go via the public slipway.
None of the temporary structures (marquee, decking or steps) would be physically attached to the actual Cosy Nook buildings and they therefore would not cause any damage to the existing walls or other building parts or in any way compromise the potentially to be listed structures. The levels are illustrated on drawing 2015-PL-043 which shows the proposed section layout.
The temporary buildings are proposed to be in use from 15th of May to 15th of October in Summer 2021 and again for the same duration in 2022 and 2023 - unless another use for the building has been found by then. The expected operation times are daily from 10am to 10pm but these are subject to separate licensing agreements and conditions.
Impact on Neighbouring Buildings As highlighted above, the only impact on the neighbouring buildings on Shore Road would be a slightly increased footfall, similar to the amount which was created when the Cosy Nook Café was open or by any other similar use which would occupy the site Opening hours will be agreed as part of the licensing approval process. Lighting will be kept to the minimum required for the safety of customers during opening hours only and there will be no light pollution for adjacent properties.
Highways No changes are proposed to access arrangements or the existing public parking areas. Deliveries would be arranged to be via the same access routes, but managed to ensure that any overlap between pedestrians and deliveries and any impact on the slipway area is minimised.
Flood Risk The site is located in an area identified in the Indicative Flood Maps for Port Erin as an area with a high risk of tidal flooding. The Mean High Water line approx. 30m to the west of the wall which separates the Courtyard area from the beach and flood maps indicate that the courtyard area, in which the temporary marquee would be located, lies within a 1 :200 year flood zone and could be affected by exceptionally high tides or storm surge conditions. Flooding does occasionally occur during winter time, but is rare during the summer period when the temporary use as a bar and café area is proposed.
The beach bar and café would only be open in good weather and remain closed if there is any risk of very windy conditions or rough seas. Should a weather warning with particular risks be issued, the applicant and operator would take down the marquee and secure or remove any items which may be at risk.
The applicant already operates a venue in Port Erin Bay and takes the same precautions at their other venue. The map on the right illustrates the location of the building in the context of the local Flooding Map. APPENDIX A: LIST OF DRAWINGS SUBMITTED Drawing Number Drawing Title Scale Issue Date
| Drawing Number | Drawing Title | Scale | Issue Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-PL-001 | Rev - | Site Plan | 1:2000 @ A3 | 30.03.2021 |
| 2015-PL-002 | Rev - | Location Plan | 1:1500 @ A3 | 30.03.2021 |
| 2015-PL-003 | Rev - | Proposed Plan Layout | 1:100 @ A3 | 30.03.2021 |
| 2015-PL-004 | Rev - | Proposed Sections Layout & Decking | 1:100 / 1:50@ A3 | 30.03.2021 |
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