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For works relating to Paramount City, Queens Promenade, Douglas
March 2021 Prepared By: The Ashfield Design Company
BACKGROUND The existing building currently accommodates a former nightclub/bar at ground and first floor level and 2No apartments on the second floor. The public house/nightclub is accessed directly from Queens Promenade via a main and secondary door entrance. The 2No apartments are accessed via a central stairwell that serves as the primary access to all floors above ground. The building also occupies a basement storage area and roof terrace. Previously known to some as Little Caesars and since being Paramount City and The Crescent was bought in 2008 by The Sefton Group and continued to run as a successful nightclub for years to come. In 2011 the nightclub Paramount City closed their doors for several months and re-opened in time for New Year’s Eve 2011 under their formerly known name of ‘The Crescent’. Following a short quiet period for the night life scene, The Crescent decided to close their doors permanently and the buildings function remained uncertain for many years.
In 2017, the Sefton Group decided to put the building up for auction. Following the auction, the building was then owned by Dandara, who had ideas in place to redevelop the site and possibly the neighbouring Horse Tram Stables. It is believed that this then fell through and the building was then put on the open market with Cowley Groves, where it remained unsold for approximately 18 months before finally being sold in August 2020 to the applicant.
THE EXISTING BUILDING / SITE
The former nightclub building is situated on the Northern most part of Queens Promenade at the slip road junction to the bottom of Summerhill leading to Summer Hill Road and Onchan. The building sits within the Planning Conservation Area: Douglas Promenades CA but is not of registered status. Looking at the primary elevation (front), to the left of the property is the Regency Hotel and Apartments and to the right is the Douglas Bay Horse Tram Stables building.
The current condition of the building, whilst structurally sound, is in need of restoration both internally and externally.
PLANNING HISTORY The existing site has been subject to 6 previous planning applications that relate to both the residential and the commercial use of the property. 86/00882/D – Erection of two illuminated projecting box signs. 89/01376/B – Alteration to upgrade from elevation. 89/01782/D – Installation of neon signage. 89/04128/B – Refurbishment of first floor. 93/00052/B – Alterations and refurbishment to public house and nightclub. 13/00472/D – Erection of barriers with advertising to form an outside smoking area.
THE PROPOSED USE The applicant is planning to utilise the vast amount of space left behind from the former nightclub and accommodation to create a family home by converting the first and second floor levels whilst the Ground Floor is to remain largely as a commercial unit as outlined below. Residential Unit The residential unit is to be spread over the extent of the first and second floor areas (first floor being the former nightclub area and second floor being existing residential units) which is accessed via the former nightclub entrance door on the ground floor from Queens Promenade. The first floor has an external access to a rear courtyard/emergency egress route leading to the promenade via a passage and a service lane to the rear of the neighbouring Regency Hotel and apartments.
The first floor is to be used for the general living areas which includes a kitchen and dining area, a living room, a gym, a wet room, a cinema/games room and an office.
The existing apartments on the second floor level are to be converted into sleeping accommodation for the residential unit comprising of 4 bedrooms (all en-suite) and a utility room. The current balcony area accessed from the second floor rooms is to be reduced and access changed to suit the proposed living arrangements, the second floor terrace area is to remain.
Note: The proposed area relating to the residential unit is approximately – 448.7m² Commercial Unit The proposal for the existing ground floor commercial unit is to convert the former nightclub into a multi-use commercial area that combines a coffee shop and a barber’s shop to create a truly unique environment.
The applicant, being a barber/hairdresser by profession sees this as a perfect opportunity to utilise the existing ground floor commercial space vacated by the former Paramount City nightclub. The incorporation of a coffee shop can also be seen as a fantastic opportunity to bring a meeting hub to the northern side of the promenade similar in stature to that of what can be seen at the Sea Terminal. To aid this unique venture, in regard to the requirement for a coffee shop or like along Queens Promenade is the use of the tram/steam train stop being only 270m away, an approximate 3min walk away.
The opening hours for the barbers & coffee shop will be around the times of 8am to 10pm. Included within the curtilage of the site boundary there is an existing external area opening onto Queens Promenade, used by the former nightclub as a smoking area and approved by planning – application number: 13/00472/D. The applicant would like to utilise the external area as a seating area to be used by the proposed cafe. Just as the former smoking area, there would be removable barriers in place, tables and chairs for customers and to only be out and/or erected during operational hours and taken back into the premises upon closing. Note: The proposed internal area relating to the commercial unit is approximately – 288m²
The proposed external area relating to the commercial unit is approximately – 27m²
EXTERNAL APPEARANCE
The existing external finish comprises of the existing white format tiling and imitation style black tiling with white grouting. Previous photos of the building indicate that the white tiles are original and not the black that everyone has become accustom to. The applicant is keen to revert back to the existing white tiling that previously once was which we believe will be more in keeping with the Douglas Promenade conservation area. Refer to appendix A for photos of the previous white tiling.
The existing main entrance door blanks are unsightly and not in keeping with the neighbouring properties. The applicant is looking to replace these existing entrance doors with new white uPVC/aluminium glazed doors as shown on the proposed elevational drawing – 20-019-04
SIGNAGE Proposed signage is as yet to be agreed with the applicant but to be utilised in the same area as the existing ‘Paramount City’ signage to the primary elevation. The applicant is happy to provide detail of the signage as a condition should an approval be granted and that the signage proposed is satisfactory to both the Planning and Conservation Departments. The applicant would also like to have signage placed upon the external seating barriers, but as yet nothing has been agreed to the exact design and therefor could also become a condition should approval be granted. HIGHWAYS IMPACT The current parking restrictions on Queens Promenade area are ‘Maximum stay of 24 hrs’ and we believe this has little to no affect on this particular application in regard to customer/staff parking. Directly outside the building, there is currently in place a roadside zone of ‘buses & coaches drop off, pick up point only’, this area could be utilised by the commercial unit for deliveries and pick up/drop offs. The existing building is situated on a prominent and busy bus route serving all areas of the island and has a direct link into Douglas Town Centre. The closest bus stop serving North Douglas and beyond the extent of Queens Promenade is approximately 35m away on the near side kerb, directly in front of the Regency Hotel main entrance. The nearest in bound bus stop, similar to the position of the out bound stop, is directly opposite the Regency Hotel on the beach side walkway. The applicant is keen to also offer space to the front of the commercial unit for bicycle parking. The applicant has also expressed that there will be a designated bicycle storage area within the ground floor residential unit for their own bicycles as they currently are.
PLANNING APPLICATION Please see the following list of drawings in support of the proposed planning application:
Planning application fee based on a change of use from commercial to residential to be £320.
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