21 September 2004 · Committee
12, Empire Terrace, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM2 4le
The proposal was for the conversion of 'Craigwell', a guesthouse behind the Castle Mona on Empire Terrace, into five self-contained apartments, with one flat on each floor. The site sits outside the Promenades Conservation Area. The officer identified parking provision as the principal planning issue: on-site parking was not considered practical, and parking at the front of the building was not considered desirable. A water supply issue was also identified as a material concern. The officer noted that recent practice had been to refuse similar guesthouse-to-flat conversions on parking grounds, even acknowledging that there remained demand for flats in Douglas. Both the officer and the Planning Committee concluded that refusal was appropriate.
The application was refused by the Planning Committee, in line with the officer's recommendation. The decisive concern was the inability to provide adequate on-site parking for five flats, with on-site provision being impractical and front parking undesirable. A water supply issue added further weight to the refusal.
Condition 1
This approval is in principle only and will remain valid for a period of two years within which time no development may take place until such time as details of the reserved matters (siting, design, external appearance, internal layout, means of access, landscaping) have been approved by the Planning Authority. Such reserved matters should form the subject of a single application.
