31 July 2007 · Committee
20, St Georges Street, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM1 1ah
This application sought permission to erect a four-storey building with basement on a cleared corner plot at the junction of Hope Street and St George's Street in Douglas, Isle of Man. The scheme proposed 30 'crash pad' apartments, a bar/restaurant, a retail or commercial unit, and 10 parking spaces. The site, which had previously been cleared of buildings and was being used as a surface car park, backs onto St George's churchyard. The Planning Committee refused the application on 31 July 2007, despite the case officer having recommended approval. Three specific reasons were given for refusal: inadequate parking, poor residential quality, and an out-of-zone retail use. The committee found that 10 parking spaces would not meet the demand generated by the mixed-use development, that the proposed flats would have bedrooms with no natural light or external outlook, and that placing a retail unit outside the area designated for retail in the Douglas Local Plan would not support the vitality of the town centre shopping area.
The Planning Committee refused the application on three grounds: the ten on-site parking spaces were insufficient for the scale of the development and would worsen congestion on nearby streets; the proposed flats had no natural light or outlook from the bedrooms, making them poor quality homes; and the retail unit fell outside the area zoned for retail use under the Douglas Local Plan, undermining the town centre shopping area. The case officer had recommended approval, but the Committee disagreed.
Refusal Reasons
Predominantly Office use
the site is within an area zoned for Predominantly Office use
