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James Greenhalgh Esq Hartford Homes Middle River Douglas Isle of Man IM2 1AL
Dear Mr Greenhalgh
I refer to our recent meeting and discussions, and to your instructions in respect of your proposed development facing The Promenade between Victoria Square and Marine Lane. I am asked to review the townscape impact which that proposal would have. In doing so I have taken account of the Port Erin Local Plan (adopted December 1990), of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan which took effect on 1st August this year, and of Planning Policy Statement 1/01, which provides guidance on conservation of the historic environment of the Isle of Man.
I approach the task on the basis of some 40 years professional experience as an architect, a conservation officer in local government and as a planning consultant. The latter part of my experience includes 20 years working as a consultant part time planning inspector in England and Wales, during which time I determined numerous appeals affecting Conservation Areas and the setting of listed buildings.
Port Erin is one of the Island's larger villages, its origins possibly deriving from a fresh water spring convenient to a sheltered bay. Be that as it may few buildings of any antiquity are to be found, and the built evidence suggests that the town's present form and layout derive from a surge of development at the end of the nineteenth century. Hotel building made a major contribution, though a number have recently been redeveloped while another (The Imperial) has been demolished, leaving an unsightly gap site pending agreement of a redevelopment scheme.
Today I would characterise the settlement as one with soft edges merging into the countryside, but with a concentrated heart forming a hard edge of buildings facing the sea.
The Local Plan for Port Erin (paragraph 1) describes the district as having its own particular characteristics which must be satisfied while meeting the settlement's changing demands and needs.
It notes too (paragraph 9.2) that there are several zones of interest whose buildings contribute significantly to the character of the village. Four are specifically identified in the plan, albeit their extent is not delineated on the plan's basemap.
The harbour, is not identified as one of the zones of interest but is described as, with the beach, of scenic importance in addition to its potential relative to leisure and tourism.
As the criteria used to select the zones of interest are not explicit in the plan I reviewed each of the four with the aim of discovering common characteristics, an aim which was not fulfilled.
As the core, or heart, of Port Erin, with the greatest concentration of large buildings, selection of this area is unsurprising. Commercial and residential uses adjoin; and modern and Victorian buildings combine in a harmonious panorama.
Predominantly smaller buildings, with the greatest mixture of uses and forms at its southern end where the road turns away from the sea. The terraces facing the beach are simpler in form than those on the higher ground behind – and taken as a group are notably better cared for.
The significance of these two little areas to the particular character of Port Erin is not obvious to me. Bradda East, on the north side of the road, has a certain picturesque village quality but is unremarkable in absolute terms and not, I suspect, uniquely distinctive of Port Erin. The groups identified at West have older buildings and a more agricultural quality, redolent perhaps of a farming hamlet predating the greater part of today's settlement.
I was puzzled too by the reasons which may have led to choice of this area. There are perhaps more trees and shrubs than at Bradda East but the area noted on the base map, though having a pleasant suburban quality with buildings of various sizes and ages, struck me as not especially locally distinctive. It is not entirely clear from the base map that the thatched Primrose Cottage – the only registered building in Port Erin – is part of the zone of special interest.
Though my personal exercise did not enable me to understand how the zones of interest were chosen one thing did strike me forcibly: the decorative order and general standard of maintenance of the domestic properties contrasts with the instances of shabbiness among commercial properties.
It is apparent that the policy aim of avoiding harm to the general environment of Port Erin is most easily secured where residential buildings occur.
Turning to the appraisal which you have requested I start by observing that no part of Port Erin has been designated a conservation area. Thus the section 18(4) duty to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its special character or appearance does not apply to The Promenade.
I could find no reference to "zones of interest" in either PPS1/01 or the Strategic Plan. But the objective of the designation must be different from that of a conservation area, and incorporating greater flexibility of approach as evidenced by the changes along The Promenade following the Local Plan's adoption in 1990.
The interest of St Catherine's Terrace and The Promenade includes the contribution of late twentieth century buildings which (with the vacant site) constitute some 45% of the frontage. They include Erinville and Milner Towers. By overtopping their neighbours, the Balmoral Hotel and the Falcons Nest Hotel, these two buildings consolidate the hard edge of the town, the striking characteristic of this zone of interest. This consideration, with the reinterpretation of bay window features, and the architect's success at the current proposal in echoing the character of an hotel will in my judgement ensure that if built the general environment will be respected, as sought by the Local Plan when replacement buildings are proposed (Policy 9.7).
The buildings proposed to be replaced last housed an hotel school, a business which relocated to Douglas within the last two years (and which has since closed down). Their character is that of 1894, when they were built, and most thought was given to their public face as was then usual. The rear was treated simply, but incremental changes and additions, in combination with apparent recent neglect, has resulted in something which harms the local townscape and detracts from the zone of interest.
It seems to me that their replacement as proposed should be seen and controlled as part of the already clear urban renewal response to the changed circumstances now that the days of high volume, low profit, tourism are (as the Strategic Plan notes) long gone. It would introduce a block of modern flats suited to the requirements of those seeking to live in the south of the Island.
In my judgement your proposal is an example of urban renewal whose effect on the general environment would be positive.
Yours sincerely
Denis
McCOY ASSOCIATES
cc Kaz Ryzner, Hugh Logan
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