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The site is a currently a single storey building within the Hills Meadow Industrial Estate, which is currently occupied by Island Fixings and Fittings. The estate is accessed off the Peel Road. The application site is set significantly lower to Peel Road. The site is zoned for light industrial use in the Douglas Local Plan 1998.
The application is seeking permission to demolish the existing building and for the erection of a two storey building for warehousing, retail and administration purposes. The building will be 16.5m in width and 60.5m in length. The building will be 10m in height to the ridge. The building use a mixture of facing materials from facing brick to colour coated steel wall sheeting and insulated wall panels. The roofing material for the building will be colour coated steel sheeting. The redevelopment will provide 26 parking spaces.
Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Douglas Local Plan) Order 1998.
Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007; Strategic Policies 1, 2, 5 and 9, General Policy 2, Business Policy 5, Transport Policies 1, 4 and 7
None
Douglas Corporation does not object to the application. Drainage Department of Douglas Corporation has no objection in principle to the development. Highways Division of the Department of Transport – no comments have been received.
The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service have indicated that the applicant should consult the Fire Safety Department with regard to general fire precautions.
The Manx Electricity Authority is satisfied that the works will not interfere with any of its equipment and wish to remove the objection to the application.
The resident of Port Soderick considers the proposed redevelopment will be an improvement on the existing.
Business Policy 5 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 states that “On land zoned for industrial use, permission will be given only for industrial development or for storage and distribution; retailing will not be permitted except where either:
and, in respect of (a) or (b), where it can be demonstrated that the sales would not detract from the vitality and viability of the appropriate town centre shopping area.
The application site is zoned as light industrial in the Douglas Local Plan. The proposal is a mixed use development for warehousing, retail and administration purposes. The intended end user of the new build will be the current users of the site (Island Fixings and Fittings). The new building will cater for the expansion of the business, which is already making use of unsightly containers on the site for storage due to lack of space.
The warehousing use of the development would not be contrary to the Strategic Plan. The main issue is the retailing element of the proposal. Island Fixings and Fittings have written to the Department explaining that the company supplies the construction industry with ironmongery, hardware, power tools, fixings and locksmith services and supplies and installs garage doors, industrial doors and balustrade system.
They have also stated that they have a display area for their door and balustrade products to enable customers to send their clients to view and select the goods for their contracts. Island Fixings and Fittings have indicated that approximately 75% of their business is to the building trade which is made up of credit account sales and cash sales, retail sales and passing trade take up the remain 25%.
Many of the items sold by Island Fixings and Fittings are relatively bulky in nature. Storage and sales facilities within town centres for bulky goods are rare. I therefore consider the majority of the items could not be reasonably sold in a town centre location. Furthermore, these are specialist items which are not readily found in a town centre and the sale of these items would not in my opinion detract from the vitality and viability of Douglas Town Centre.
I also consider it is important to attach a condition to the planning permission restricting the type of goods which can be sold from the building so as not allow the site to be used for general retail purposes which would be contrary to policies within the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007.
In respect of the impact on the visual amenities of the industrial estate, the estate is generally poor in appearance due to the age of the various buildings within the estate. The proposed building is modern and would considerably improve the overall appearance of the estate. I therefore consider the proposal would not adversely affect the visual amenities of the locality.
In terms of the parking provision for the development, the proposal makes adequate car parking provision for customers and employees and would accord with the parking standards of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan.
I therefore recommend that the planning permission be granted subject to conditions.
The Department of Transport and the local authority are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.
Whilst IoM Fire and Rescue Service and the MEA represents a statutory authority, the points raised in correspondence relate to Building Control matters and not planning and as such should not be afforded party status in this instance.
The resident of Port Soderick does not have sufficient interest in the application and should not be afforded party status.
C: Conditions for approval N: Notes attached to conditions R: Reasons for refusal O: Notes attached to refusals
C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
C 2. This permission relates to the demolition of the existing building and erection of a two storey building for warehousing, retail and administration purposes as shown in drawing numbers 243/2/1, 243/2/2, 243/2/3, 243/2/4, 243/2/5 and 243/2/6 date stamped 4th May 2007, Letter from Richard Green Associates dated 2nd May 2007, Letter from Island Fixings and Fittings dated 31st July 2007.
C 3. The building hereby permitted shall not be occupied until the car parking and manoeuvring areas have been provided in accordance with the approved plans, and those areas shall thereafter be kept available at all times for their respective purposes.
C 4. No development shall take place until samples of the facing and roofing materials to be used shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority and these works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.
C 5. The building shall only be used for the respective purposes identified on drawing number 243/2/4 date stamped 4 May 2007. No part of the building shall be used for a different purpose unless written consent of the planning authority has been first obtained.
C 6. The showroom shall only be used for the display and sale of hardware, ironmongery, powertools, fixings, garage and industrial door, and balustrade systems.
Decision Made: _________________ Committee: _________________
Committee Meeting Date: _________________
28 August 2007 07/00875/B Page 5 of 5
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