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Department of Planning DEFA Murray House Mount Havelock Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2SF 16th December 2021 Dear Sir / Madam,
The following information is provided in support of the application and should be read together with all the submitted application information.
Previous Planning Approval. PA20/01531/B proposed a development of 12 residential dwellings with associated infrastructure and landscaping. The works involved the following;
PA20/01531/B was recommended for approval by the Planning Officer and subsequently Approved by the Planning Committee at their meeting held on 24th May 2021.
Reasons for Revised Planning Application The scheme has been revised to address two issues;
• Notwithstanding the neighbours’ comments, the approved application was fully compliant with the standards set out in the Residential Design Guide and that this land is zoned for residential use and would be seen as normal and acceptable.
Therefore, whilst this revised proposal is intended to address these two issues, it should be remembered that PA20/01531/B was fully compliant with all policy and technical design requirements and is on land zoned for development and was approved by the Planning Committee, despite the objections being raised when the application was being considered. Hartford’s proposed concessions are voluntary and to help address the balance between the urgent need for housing and protecting the environment.
The Revised Proposal The revised proposal is for the development of 6 residential properties, site access road, infrastructure and landscaping works.
The benefits of the revised scheme over that approved by PA20/01531/B, include;
The following is a sketch of the revised proposals for 6 no houses;
The proposed changes will address most of the concerns previously raised by neighbouring property owners, as well as striking a balance by reducing the number of trees to be removed. The planting of new trees and the implementation of recommendation made by MWT, will all improve the ecological value of proposed development and the site.
The neighbouring development, Farmhill Grove, is 50% complete - therefore this proposal allows for immediate delivery of much needed housing.
The proposed site is immediately to the north of Farmhill Grange (16 dwellings now nearing completion) and is currently part of the garden of Bix House, Farm Hill Lane. The land is zoned as Predominantly Residential in the Area Plan for The East.
Extract from the Area plan for the East, which shows the site zoned for Predominately Residential use.
The following image shows the extent of the proposed site:
The current extent of Bix House consists of Areas C, D & E and has an overall area of 2.76acres. The proposed site, the subject of this planning application, is part of the garden of Bix House, Areas C & D, and will have an area of 2.27acres.
The Private Woodland area, ‘D’, will remain Private Woodland, with public access limited to along its south eastern boundary via a new link footpath, to assist with Active Travel. The loop boardwalk and public access into the woodland is not included as part of these proposals.
The development site (Area C) is currently a mixture of formal garden and borders with a small tree plantation, planted in the 1980’s, in the centre. It is not registered woodland and the arborist has advised that the trees are of a relatively poor quality. The proposals include the removal of
approximately 40% of the plantation trees (eastern side) to open up the land for development. The proposals will include large amounts of replacement native tree planting.
Previous proposals to remove all the plantation trees and the large conifer hedge on the north western boundary were found to be acceptable, with planning approval being granted.
An updated Arboriculture Impact Assessment, produced by Manx Roots, and an updated Preliminary Ecological Assessment, produced by MWT, are included as part of this planning application.
During the development of these revised proposals, the following have been consulted;
There was general support for the revised proposals by those listed above.
The owners of no. 40, 39 & 38 Farmhill Park have also been consulted and we believe these revised proposals now address the concerns they have previously expressed.
This current planning application will be the third one that Hartford have submitted for this site.
PA20-00824-B - 11 Dwellings including 2 FTB, was submitted in July 2020 but was subsequently withdrawn to allow changes to be made to address concerns raised.
Site plan for PA20-00824-B
PA20/01531/B, - 12 Dwellings including 4 FTB, was submitted in Dec 2020. The design addressed comments raised by the Planning Officer, DEFA and Douglas Council, as well as neighbouring property owners. PA20/01531/B was approved in May 2021.
Site plan for PA20/01531/B
This revised application is for the development of 6 dwellings and has been designed to further address the concerns of neighbouring property owners, as well as reducing the number of trees to be removed.
Proposed site plan
The house styles will remain the same as previously approved by PA20/01531/B, and will generally be in keeping with the houses in the area. The pallet of external finishes of the houses will include facing brickwork, painted rendered, painted timber cladding and pitched tiled roofs. The timber cladding has been proposed to reflect the site’s woodland backdrop, and will help reduce the visual impact of the dwellings.
The soft landscaping of the site and the new tree planting proposals are important aspects of these proposals, involving extensive consultations, as previously described.
The proposed planting scheme has been developed with Manx Wildlife Trust and Manx Roots, to offset the tree removal and achieve an ecological nett gain.
The proposed mixed native woodland edge planting, shown on the Planting Proposal produced by Manx Roots, will provide additional natural habitat and improve the Woodland setting.
Extensive new tree planting is also proposed associated with the new dwellings and also around the edge of the retained plantation trees.
A footpath will be provided along the southern boundary of the woodland, to link the proposed development with the Lheannag Park Estate and Ballaughton Park in the east, and improve pedestrian connectivity in the area.
This revised application proposes less tree removal and more tree planting than the currently approved scheme. As well as new tree planting other mitigations measures have been included to suitably offset the tree loss, with potential for ecological nett gain.
Most of the tree loss will occur with the removal of approximately 60% of the central plantation, Group G4, which the arborist has described as being of poor quality, with trees having been planted too close together. The arborist has advised that, even if the development were not to proceed, that 1/3rd of the trees should be removed anyway, as good tree management.
The following table summarises the proposed tree removal and new tree planting (please see Arboricultural Impact Assessment for more details);
| No. of Trees Removed | No. of Trees Planted | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TREE REMOVAL | Refer to Arboricultural Impact Assessment by Manx Roots | ||
| Unsuitable for Retention – Individual trees | 6 | 6no. Cat U | |
| To be removed to facilitate development | |||
| Individual trees | 9 | 1 x Cat. B, 8 x Cat C) | |
| Group 1 (Cat C) | 7 | Leyland Cypress | |
| Group 3 (Cat B) | 16 | ||
| Group 4 (Cat B) | 62 (62% of group) | 21 of which would need to be removed anyway | |
| NEW TREE PLANTING | Refer to Proposed Site Plan for details | ||
| Individual trees | 6 | To front of 6 new houses | |
| Hornbeam Hedge | 150 | To improve privacy | |
| Woodland Edge Planting | 279 | As specified by MWT | |
| Micro Forest | 1100 | Around the plantation area | |
| TOTALS | -100 | +1535 |
Paragraph 4.6.1. of the Arboricultural Impact Assessment, produced by Manx Roots, states the following;
The loss of arboricultural value associated with this development will be moderate. The majority of the trees being suggested for removal to facilitate the development are, with some exceptions, of low individual quality. It is strongly recommended that a robust replanting proposal be implemented to mitigate any trees that have to be removed as part of the development. We are aware that Hartford Homes limited and Manx Wildlife Trust have collaborated to produce a comprehensive replanting proposal which will offset and mitigate tree loss.
Whilst the proposed development will result in an initial reduction in tree canopy, the replacement tree planting, specified with advice from Manx Roots and Manx Wildlife Trust, will mature in time and will offset this loss.
Manx Wildlife Trust have confirmed the proposed development should not result in ecological nett loss and has the potential to provide ecological nett gain, particularly with the type of tree planting being specified.
Access to the proposed site will be from the south east, via the adjacent Farmhill Grove development;
Access to the proposed site will be via Farmhill Grove.
All the proposed dwellings will be provided with 2 no. off road car parking spaces and cycle storage can be accommodated in the garages.
A revised Highways Statement has been produced by iTransport, which includes vehicle tracking diagrams, is included as part of the planning application, and demonstrates that the proposals are acceptable in highway access terms.
The revised scheme includes the retention of approximately 40% of the plantation trees closest to no 40 & 39 Farmhill Park, and also the existing conifer hedge to the north western boundary. This change to the proposals will maintain natural visual separation between the existing neighbouring properties and the proposed 6 no. new dwellings.
In addition to the maintaining of boundary planting, separation distances between the proposed dwellings and existing dwellings will far exceed the separation distance standards set out in the ‘Residential Design Guide’. As an example, with reference to the drawing below, the separate distance between No.40 Farmhill Park and the proposed dwelling on Plot 21, is over 55m.
Site section illustrating no ‘Loss of Light / Overshadowing’, ‘Overbearing Impact upon outlook’ & ‘Overlooking Resulting in Loss of Privacy’.
In addition to retaining existing trees and providing ample separation distances, the proposed site is also sloping away from the existing houses, meaning the existing houses will maintain an elevated position. As an example, the finished ground floor level of the neighbouring property will be well over 4m higher than the finished ground floor level of the proposed house on plot 21.
Whilst it is understandable that adjacent property owners may not like new development close to their properties, the nature of sustainable development means that it should be located close to existing services, which invariably means that it is close to existing housing. The reduction in the number of proposed houses, from 12 down to 6, and the retention of existing boundary and
plantation trees should result in little visual impact from the proposed development on existing neighbouring property owners.
Housing Policy 5 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan states; In granting planning permission on land zoned for residential development or in predominantly residential areas the Department will normally require that 25% of provision should be made up of affordable housing. This policy will apply to developments of 8 dwellings or more.
These revised proposals are for 6no. new dwellings, therefore, there are no requirements to provide affordable homes. However, as 6 new homes will be provided close to Douglas, this should release buyers’ previous homes, which are potentially smaller and ‘affordable’, onto the open market.
The Isle of Man Strategic Plan, Appendix 6-A.6.1.2, states that developments of ten dwellings and above will have to make provisions for open space. As these proposals are for 6 dwellings only, there is no requirements to provide Public Open Space. However, as can be seen from the proposed site plan, the new houses are surrounded by existing woodland and new tree planting giving a very countryside feel. The provision of the link footpath with provide a direct route to Ballaughton Park.
All required utilities and services are available within the adjacent site, Farmhill Grange, now under construction, to service the proposed development.
The Drainage authority have been consulted and an indicative underground drainage design is included within the planning application package. There is an existing storm water drain running
through the proposed site, which will be re-routed as part of the works. There are no technical barriers to drainage of the site.
It has been established that the flood risk, identified by Manx Utilities, is rainwater falling & running over the ground towards the lowest part of the site, which is the watercourse within the Woodland. This is natural and to be expected for an undeveloped site.
It is proposed that the ground will be shaped on the north east boundary of the site, to direct the rainwater around the development, down to the existing water course in the Woodland. Our drainage engineers have sized the ground shaping to accommodate a 1 in 100 year storm.
Compared to the previously approved scheme, the revised scheme has a larger area of open, unpaved ground, where 5 houses have been omitted, which will provide more capacity for rain water to be absorbed into the ground. Additionally, the new access road can intercept any potential flood water flow before it reaches the front of the 6 new houses, with the road gullies collecting any overflow.
The existing watercourse does not cause a flood risk for the proposed development area and the current owners of Bix House have advised that they have never seen any flood water running across the site.
The following points are relevant to this application;
New residential site identified by the Area Plan for the east will not come online for circa 2 -3 years given the requirement for Environment Impact Assessment to be carried out on all sites for over 30 dwellings, and the time required to undertake one. The planning process is thereafter likely to take around a further year. If the applications are appealed, it could be two years before approval could be secured and a further 6-9 months until the first dwellings are ready.
There is an acute need for new homes that is frustrating growth in and around Douglas which need population growth to support its shops, facilities and town centre. The island property market is widely reporting a lack of homes across the board. As an example, upon release, more than 75% of Phase 1 of Farmhill Grange sold straight away, which illustrates the acute demand for new homes located close to existing amenities.
Planning Application 20/01531/B, a proposal for the development of 12 dwellings and involving significant tree removal, has previously been approved. This revised proposal is for 6 dwellings and has primarily been developed to reduce the number of trees to be removed and increase the
number of new trees being planted (notwithstanding the approved application offers no net ecological loss due to on site mitigation and new planting).
A secondary benefit of this compromise proposal is that it may also address concerns expressed by the neighbouring property owners to the previous scheme.
The proposed removal of the garden trees has been consulted upon and previously found to be acceptable, subject to the implementation of the package of ecological mitigation measures developed by Manx Wildlife Trust.
Sustainable development should be located close to existing services & public transport, which is invariably close to existing residential properties, which is not always welcomed by their owners. The layout of the proposed site is well within what is considered acceptable by the Residential Design Guide and is on land zoned for residential development under The Area Plan for the East.
The proposed site is a residential garden belonging to, and enjoyed by, a single property. The proposed development will provide homes for 6 families, and will only have very limited impact on 2, possibly 3, neighbouring properties.
The smaller house types being proposed are much needed in the east, and will make a valuable contribution to the housing stock of Douglas especially as development can be carried out swiftly as the adjacent development is already on site and furthermore, given that lager, recently approved site allocations will take longer to bring forwards.
We trust the above and enclosed information is sufficient for this application to be considered but should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our offices.
Yours faithfully
George Li For and on behalf of Hartford Ltd.
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