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4.01 Whilst the preferred point of access for basement parking would be from the lane to the rear of the properties on St Georges Street and Hope Street, the application site does not have any legal vehicular access rights from this position, these rights having been sold by previous owners of the terraced properties which make up the application site. Accordingly in order to provide on-site parking facilities in meeting at least some of the requirements of the All Island Strategic Plan, and following consultations with Mr Derek Sewell of the DoT Highways Division, the application site takes vehicular access from the lowest section of the site on Hope Street.
4.02 The Hope Street vehicular access is formed to provide a vehicle run-off position so that vehicles entering the building and awaiting the vehicle lift to the basement will not impede the flow of traffic on Hope Street. It is proposed that the vehicle lift and its security shutter, will operate with an internal traffic light system and interlock, which controls the access and egress of vehicles from and to the parking area.
It is our understanding following discussions with Mr Sewell, that such installations have been carried out previously on the Isle of Man, and have been found to be satisfactory. It is also understood that given the small number of vehicles to be accommodated on site in the ten parking spaces, it is not likely that this method of access is considered problematical.
4.03 The total net lettable office floor space for the development is 12,050 square feet and therefore under the parking requirements of the All Island Strategic Plan, for one parking space per fifty square metres of net lettable office floor space, the application requires 22.38 parking spaces. The provision of ten on-site parking spaces therefore provides almost half of the parking requirement for the development. It is proposed therefore that the other 12 parking spaces to meet the All Island Strategic Plan, will be provided off-site. As the availability of off-site parking is controlled by the market with a maximum of yearly contracts, it is proposed that the requirements for off-site parking should be a condition on any possible planning approval for the provision of either a legal agreement or proof of contracts for off-site parking to be provided to the planning committee, prior to the occupation of the floor space requiring such parking over and above that which can be provided by the on-site parking arrangements.
4.04 The applicant understands that the provision of off-site parking is supported by the Douglas Local Plan Order 1997 within paragraphs 7.3 to 7.11, which deal with the issue of parking provision. In addition, policy D/CP/1 identifies that any shortfall of on-site parking provision should be 'accommodated off-street' and should be based 'on peripheral surface or multi-level car parks in close proximity to main arterial roads and provide secure parking allied to an effective and regular public transport system'.
4.05 Similarly, the All Island Strategic Plan identifies within Appendix A - para. A.7.2 that car parking should be provided at a rate of '1 space per 50 Sq.m. of nett office floor space, preferably provided on-site, but otherwise provided conveniently close to the site'. Paragraph A.7.6 also identifies that these standards may be relaxed where development is; '(d) is within a reasonable distance of an existing or proposed bus route, and it can be demonstrated a reduced level of parking will not result in unacceptable on-street parking in the locality'. Accordingly, as the proposed site is situated within 100m of 2 major multi-level car parks, and numerous surface car parks on Circular Road, together with excellent links to public transport both on Peel Road and Circular Road, the applicant believes these policies to apply in this case.
5.01 The proposal has been designed to minimise its' environmental impact. The footprint of the building maintains an economic ratio between floorspace and its' perimeter, whilst the internal layout has been specifically designed to utilise the central core of the building for circulation and secondary facilities such as W.C.'s, leaving the perimeter area of the building clear for office space. In this way, the office areas have more exposure to natural ventilation and daylight, and therefore have a lower energy consumption load for mechanical ventilation and artificial lighting.
5.02 The building has been designed to minimise the possibility of solar over-heating, with its' rear, South-facing elevation containing smaller window formats, whilst its' primary elevations have larger areas of glazing to maximise natural daylight.
5.03 The building is to be constructed to a higher specification than that required by the Isle of Man Building Regulations, using higher insulation values to minimise heat losses. Glazing will incorporate low emissivity glass with argon gas filled sealed double glazing units. Where possible, materials will be sourced locally minimising carbon miles, and again, where possible, will be sourced from sustainable resources.
6.01 In conclusion, the applicant believes that the application proposals are in-line with the zoning of the application site, and comply with the policies of the Douglas Town Plan and the All Island Strategic Plan. In addition, the proposals are an appropriate response to the site and its immediate surroundings.
6.02 Given the need for the provision of additional office space within the Douglas area, and the Isle of Man Governments' commitment to the continuance of economic growth as an essential requirement for the future of the Isle of Man, the applicant believes that the proposals are in line with these objectives, whilst having no detrimental effect to the surrounding area.
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