DEC Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Application No.: 22/00197/B Applicant: Manx Utilities Authority Proposal: Installation of 3 electric vehicle charging points Site Address: EV Charging Point Station Road Kirk Michael Isle Of Man IM6 1AD Enforcement/Planning Assistant: Ms Charlotte Gatt Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.05.2022

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.

Reason: To comply with Article 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposal is considered to be appropriate in this location and complies with the relevant policies of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 and is therefore approved.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision hereby approved relates to drawings and documents submitted to the Department titled:

• Document 1 - EV Charge points 1:250 sets out the proposed parking bays
• Document 2 - EVCP1_01 sets out bay sizes
• Document 3 - EVCP3_02 sets out bay sizes
• Document 4 - site plan 1:500
• Document 5 - Location plan 1:2500
• Document 6 - location plan 1:1500
• Document 7 - Pod-point twin pedestal data sheet. Please note MU propose to install white units which are recognised as the current standard for the Islands public EV charging network.
• Document 8 - Example photo of the white unit at an existing site

all recorded as being electronically received on 22nd February 2022. _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

THE PLANNING APPLICATION IS BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AS THE OFFICER IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL BUT THE LOCAL AUTHORITY HAS MADE WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS OBJECTING TO THE APPLICATION.

THE SITE

1.1 The application site is a car parking area to the rear of the former Isle of Man Banking building. The site is located on a corner plot, with Station road to the south of the site just off the Main Road, and Kerrowcruin Road running from the west to the north of the site. - 1.2 Surrounding the site is a low boundary "Armco" crash barrier. - 1.3 The site is situated within the Kirk Michael Conservation Area. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 This application seeks approval for the installation of three twin pod-point Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points to the south east of the existing car park to the rear of the former Isle of Man Bank. - 2.2 The charging pod points are 1330mm in height, have a depth of 295mm and a width of 241mm and are finished in an Anti-Graffiti White. PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 There are no previous applications in relation the application site that would be considered materially relevant to the determination of this application. PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 The application site is zoned as Public Open Space on the Kirk Michael Plan 1994. As previously mentioned, the application site also lies within the Kirk Michael Conservation Area.

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999. S18 Designation of conservation areas

(4) Where any area is for the time being a conservation area, special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its character or appearance in the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in the area, of any powers under this Act.

4.2 In terms of strategic plan policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains four policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application:

• 4.2.1 General Policy 2 states (in part):

"Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:

• b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them;
• c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape;

• g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality;
• h) provides satisfactory amenity standards in itself, including where appropriate safe and convenient access for all highway users, together with adequate parking, servicing and manoeuvring space;
• i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways; m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them."

• 4.2.2 Environmental Policy 35 states:

"Within Conservation Areas, the department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."

• 4.3.3 Spatial Policy 3 states: "The following villages are identified as Service Villages

• o Laxey
• o Jurby
• o Andreas
• o Kirk Michael
• o St Johns
• o Foxdale
• o Port St Mary
• o Ballasalla
• o Union Mills

Area Plans will define the development boundaries of such villages so as to maintain and where appropriate increase employment opportunities. Housing should be provided to meet local needs and in appropriate cases to broaden the choice of location of housing".

• 4.3.3 Strategic Policy 4 states: Proposals for development must:

• (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;

REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division have stated the following:

"After reviewing this Application, Highway Services HDC finds it to have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. The installation of electric vehicle charging points is welcomed - No Highway interest" (11.03.2022)

5.2 Michael District Commissioners have provided the following comments:

"Michael District Commissioners wish to object to Planning No 22/00197/B, dated 22 February 22, for the Installation of three EV charging points on the following grounds:

• 1 The Kirk Michael Road Scheme only included 2 EV points. This was met with resistance from users of the car park as this removed 4 spaces for non EV cars from an already busy car park. 3 EV points will remove at least 6 spaces

• 2 The work has been nearly completed before planning has been granted (see attached photo dated 5 March 2022)" (07.03.2022)

5.3 No comments have been received from neighbouring properties at the time of writing. ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main considerations for this application are the impact on traffic, parking and on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

• 6.1.2 The Department of Infrastructure Highways Services does not consider there to be a negative impact on the traffic or parking so the proposal is considered acceptable on that front.

6.2 The installation of the electric vehicle charging station is classified as permitted development outside of a Conservation Area. As the site is within a Conservation Area, assessment is needed to determine its impact on the character of the area. The charging pods could stand out from their surroundings but not to a point which would harm the character of the area. In addition, the benefit of encouraging the use of alternative energy vehicles outweighs any impact on the character of the car parking area therefore, and in this sense is considered to be acceptable.

• 6.2.1 Whilst within the town's Conservation Area, the car park of which the electric vehicle charging points are to be situated and the adjacent houses on Kerrookruin Road are not historic. The bungalow buildings, fronting onto Station Road, do have an impact on the character of the area. The car park and the electrical charging points that are to be installed are to the rear of the old Isle of Man Bank building and are not prominent within the built up street scene, and therefore the impact on the character of the Conservation Area is limited. With this in mind, the proposed installation of the EV charging points neither enhances or detracts from the character of the Conservation Area and is therefore considered to be acceptable. CONCLUSION
• 7.1 For the above reasons the proposal is considered to be appropriate in this location and complies with the relevant policies of the IOM Strategic Plan. The application is recommended for approval. INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
• 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land which the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material. 8.2 The decision-maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status.

I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to that body by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Committee has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.

Decision Made : Permitted Committee Meeting Date: 23.05.2022

Signed : C GATT Presenting Officer

Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).

Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO See below

Customer note This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.