Planning Statement for Site

Manninagh and Dalveen, Bircham Avenue, Ramsey, IM8 2LY

The overall site consists of a number of buildings;

At the front of the site Manninagh, Dalveen and a large double height workshop/garage are the three main properties. Manninagh is currently occupied, Dalveen in not habitable but was converted many years ago into two flats. A lane runs down the left side of the properties, leading to a stone built garage and access to the back of the properties.

The garage/warehouse building was used for a business until the owner retired, it is now used for storage and a workshop. Behind and attached to this building is another dwelling building that was approved to be converted into a three bedroomed bungalow; the work on this was started but never completed; planning is still in place.

In addition to these buildings there is also a brick built workshop and a large wooden shed.

All the buildings have electricity, water and drainage. The foot print is just under 1000m². See attached outlined plan.

The widowed owner no longer requires a property this size and is looking at the options available; including rebuilding the area and living in one of the smaller properties. All of the current buildings are in need of work. The owner does not see the benefit of doing this as the initial problem of the size of the properties would still be there. It has been suggested that part of the property be sold. This has been considered but may cause additional problems.

When looking at designs for a potential new build a number of considerations have been looked at these are as follows.

The current properties (if renovated) could potentially be large homes for 17 people +, spread across the 3 properties. Each of the town houses has 7 bedrooms and the bungalow 3. Up until last year Manninagh was occupied by 5 adults all with cars, only three could be parked off road.

With this in mind a number of smaller properties would not increase the potential number of people or the number of vehicles on site. As the properties would be smaller with access to the rear of the properties used for parking, the number of off-road spaces can be increased significantly, 90% of the area is currently concrete or a building. Smaller properties would allow for green areas.

There are very few first-time buyers' or smaller properties in the North with access to amenities that this area offers. The property is on the level and within walking distance to the main street and other shopping areas; Shoprite is 500 yards away. There is a bus stop with a regular service.

The area is adjacent to a main road and although there are many cars currently parked on the road it was important to ensure that future vehicles could be parked off road. As you can see from the plans, the maisonettes with garages also have a parking space in front of the garage. The properties without garages have parking alongside. No parking has been considered on the main road, the estate alongside or the supermarket.

This small development covers a number of requirements for buyers, including, garages, off road parking and small communal areas. It would be suitable for first time buyers or someone who

wanted to downsize. There is also the potential for a mixture of flats and maisonettes $\frac{210}{1217}$ everyone. This initial planning in principle is to outline the potential for the area.

All the proposed properties would have 2 bedrooms. The maisonettes without a garage have an additional living space.

Landscaping and eco credentials are also a consideration for the area. There is a large tree in the far left of the property, this would remain, it does not appear on the tree map but as this area would be parking it would not have any significant impact on the development. The registered tree at the front of the property is not within the boundary and again would only be close to the exit of the properties. The majority of the rest of the property is already concreted or paved, in some areas this would be removed and planted.

The properties are close to but not within the flood map areas. To mitigate any potential for the risk of future flooding the properties would have ground floor garages and planted areas. This area has never flooded but its close proximity to potential future flooding has been taken into consideration.

The sizes of the properties are based on the average 2-bedroom maisonettes and/or flats, as seen in various locations around the Island.

The Layout of the development allows for a car to drive in one way and drive out another. This is to ensure safety when joining the main road. If the spaces are angled, the cars cannot come out the way they went in. There may also be another way to exit but this would have to be approved by highways and the Ramsey Town Commissioners as it would lead onto a public road within their estate. There is no need for this additional exit but it may be useful for visitors etc.

It is envisioned that if planning in principle is allowed then professional architects would be employed to draw up more informative scale plans; their knowledge would bring additional impact to the proposals. This has not been done at this time due to the uncertainty of the owner's future plans.

Thank you for taking your time to read these proposals, I hope they were informative enough to help you make a decision. I am happy to arrange a site visit with the planning representatives or the Commissioners.