DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 22/00211/B Applicant: Mr & Mrs Chris & Allison Charmer Proposal: Rear extension and first floor rear extension with associated internal alterations Site Address: 16 Raad Ny Gabbil Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1HH Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken: 26.04.2022 Site Visit: 26.04.2022 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 28.04.2022

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.

• C 2. No development shall commence until a sample panel of the external facing material to be used on the dormer has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. The approved sample panel shall be kept on site for reference until the development is completed. The development shall not be carried out unless in accordance with the approved details. Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area.

This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The proposal is considered to be in accordance with General Policy 2 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 in that no unacceptable visual, residential amenity or other impacts were identified.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following plans and drawings:

• o 1030.02A Proposed Plans / Elevations & Section,
• o 1030.03 Existing Plans / Section All received 28 February 2022.

_______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site is the residential curtilage of 16 Raad Ny Gabbil, Castletown, a detached residential property which fronts onto Raad Ny Gabbil and backs onto the properties on Reayrt Lhean. The dwelling, which is single storey with accommodation in the roof has an almost centralised flat roof dormer on the front elevation, while the rear elevation has a partly lopsided bigger flat roofed dormer. - 1.2 The rear garden of the property is enclosed by mature landscaping comprising high hedges which rises to about 4m on the northeast and southeast boundaries, while the hedging on the northwest boundary is about 2m high. - 1.3 The dwelling forms part of a cul-de-sac of similar size and styled dwellings, although a number of the dwellings have been the subject of extensions and alterations which has made a number of the dwellings somewhat dissimilar. These alterations include the erection of a number pitched roofed and flat roofed dormers (both in front and at the rear), as well as varying sizes of side extensions. Raad Ny Gabbil forms part of a wider residential area sitting between the A5 main road and Arbory Road.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks approval for rear extension and first floor rear extension with associated internal alterations. The proposed works would involve: - 2.2 Extending the existing flat roofed rear dormer by 2.8m to increase the length from 10.3m to about 13.1. There would be no changes to the height of the dormer which is set at about 2.3m. The dormer would have its flat roof finished in dark coloured Polyroof 185 or equal approved fibreglass roof with preformed drip. The entire rear dormer would be clad horizontally in new material (details not shown). - 2.3 The erection of a singles storey flat roofed extension at the rear of the existing kitchen and utility to create a new dining/family area that would form an open plan area with the existing kitchen. This extension, which would be 2.7m wide, 6.8m long and 2.8m high, would have a dark coloured Polyroof 185 or equal approved fibreglass roof with preformed drip over. This roof will have a 1.8m x 900mm lantern over. A new set of UPVC bifold doors will be installed on the rear elevation, while new UPVC casement windows would be installed at the northwest side. This extension would have painted render finish similar to the existing. - 2.4 Also proposed is the relocation of the door and window at the rear of the utility to the south elevation of the utility room.

- 3.0 PLANNING POLICY

3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South (2013) as Residential. The site is not within a Conservation Area or prone to flood risks, although the road serving the application property and its neighbours is considered to have high likelihood of surface water flood risk. The site is also not within a Registered Tree Area, and there are no protected trees on site.

3.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this application; - 3.3 General Policy 2 (GP2) (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; (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption.

3.4 Paragraph 8.12.1 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 states: "As a general policy, in built up areas not controlled by Conservation Area or Registered Building policies, there will be a general presumption in favour of extensions to existing property where such extensions would not have an adverse impact on either adjacent property or the surrounding area in general." - 3.5 Other policies within the Strategic Plan which are considered relevant in the assessment of the proposal are; Infrastructure Policy 5, Community Policy 11, Community Policy 7 and Community Policy 10.

- 4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

- 4.1 RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDE 2021

• 4.1.1 Whilst not adopted planning policy, DEFA's Residential Design Guidance is a material consideration in the assessment of this application as, "It is intended to apply to any residential development within existing villages and towns, including individual houses, conversions and householder extensions". Sections 2.0 on sustainable construction, and 7.0 which deals with impact on neighbouring properties, are considered relevant to the current scheme. The following paragraphs are particularly relevant:

4.2 "3.1.3 New residential development should be informed by the best qualities of our existing residential areas. However, this does not mean that all new residential developments should seek to replicate the appearance of older ones, and good quality contemporary design is encouraged.

• 3.1.4 Nevertheless, it is important that the design of new residential developments, including their scale (including height), form, layout/orientation, and detailed design (including the materials used) is informed by and respects both the nature of the development site and the character of the neighbouring buildings and surrounding area.
• 3.1.5 The character and context of any residential development is created by the locally distinctive patterns and form of development, landscape, culture, and biodiversity. These elements have often built up over a considerable time and tell a story of the site's history and evolution - the creation of a 'sense of place'.
• 3.1.6 The character and context of a site should influence design positively so that development does not simply replace what was there but reflects and responds to it, for example by allowing the long-term retention of existing mature landscaping features such as trees or water features.
• 3.1.7 The initial site context should also identify established building heights, lines, and orientation of buildings that are adjacent to the site and should have a positive relationship with established housing and other development, including ease of pedestrian and vehicular

movement sought to deliver high quality sustainable development that reflects up-to-date technologies and aesthetics and creates a strong "sense of place".

- 5.0 PLANNING HISTORY

5.1 The site has been the subject of a previous application for alterations and extensions, under PA 92/00171/B. This application was approved by the Planning Committee in June 1992. The scheme enabled the erection of the dormer to the rear and a side extension over the flat roofed garage to create additional living accommodation within the roof. - 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the Government's website. This report contains summaries only.

6.1 The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division have indicated that there is 'No Highways Interest' in a letter dated 11 March 2022.

6.2 There has been no written representation made regarding the current planning application by the Castletown Commissioners at the time of writing this report, although they were consulted on 8 March 2022. - 6.3 No comments have been received from neighbouring properties.

- 7.0 ASSESSMENT

7.1 The main issues to consider in the assessment of the application are;

• i. the impact of the proposed extension and alteration on the character and appearance of the existing dwelling; and
• ii. whether there would be any impacts on neighbouring living conditions as a result of the development.

7.2 It is not considered that the proposed development would have any impacts on the streetscene given the location of the extensions and alterations at the rear, and within an enclosure where there would be no views attainable from the abutting highways. Only private views would be attainable from the first floor rear windows of neighbouring properties. - 7.3 Visual impacts on existing dwelling

• 7.3.1 In respect of the impact of the extensions on the property, it is considered that the proposed rear extension will be built to match the dwelling in terms of style and finishing and as such will not have detrimental impacts on the dwelling. There is no denying that the rear extension would increase the flat roofed element at the rear; a feature that is not usually supported as they could alter significantly the appearance of an existing dwelling by forming features that are not sympathetic to the existing property. However, in this case, the property already has prominent flat roofed elements which would enable the new extension fit in seamlessly with the existing. Besides, the existing dwelling is a modern dwelling and in a modern estate where it is not uncommon to feature flat roofed elements such as flat roofed garages and dormers as is the case at Raad Ny Gabbil.
• 7.3.2 The most notable change is likely to be the extension to the flat roofed dormer at the rear, although this is not expected to adversely impact the general residential character of the area or the dwelling. Whilst it is noted that the appearance of flat roofed dormers can be unfortunate, especially where they can be viewed from public vantage points, with the Residential Design Guide generally seeking to avoid such dormer structures, in this case, there is already a flat roof dormer on the property and the proposal now is to extend what already exists at the rear. Granting the scale of the proposed dormer would be larger than the existing, the proposed change would give it a more balanced appearance within the roof scape when compared to the existing which is unsymmetrical. More so, the proposed recladding would give the dormer a more contemporary outlook which would enhance the appearance of

• the dwelling. As well, the application property is a modern dwelling which is well suited to flat dormers in line with paragraph 4.10.4 of the RDG 2021.
• 7.3.3 The relocation of the door and window from the rear of the utility room to the side of the dwelling, which is mainly a functional change would not impact on the appearance of the dwelling. This change would also be set behind the enclosure offered by the existing 1.8m lollipop timber fence, hedging and the neighbouring dwelling on this side.
• 7.3.4 Given the above, it is considered that the proposed development in terms of visual impacts would be compliant with General Policy 2 (b, c, & g), and the relevant parts of the Residential Design Guide 2021.

7.4 Impact on neighbouring amenity

• 7.4.1 In assessing impacts on neighbours, it is noted that the scheme would not result in overbearing impacts or overshadowing, given the distances from neighbouring properties and the design of the scheme, with the only concern being possible overlooking for the occupants of 13 Reayrt Lhean, Ballalough, Castletown, which shares a rear boundary with the application site. The possibility of overlooking has been considered given that the proposed dormer extension will have an additional window which will serve a secondary habitable room (the bedroom) and will have views onto the southwest elevation of this neighbour. However, it is noted that there is no window on the affected elevation of this neighbouring dwelling within 20m from the proposed dormer window. It is also considered that the chances of overlooking are further diminished by the existing hedging on the boundary of both properties which rises to about 4m. The orientation of this neighbouring properties further sets the existing windows away from the proposed dormer.
• 7.4.2 With regard to the proposed rear extension and relocation of the door and window serving the utility room to the south elevation of the dwelling, it is also not considered that these would create any privacy concerns for the neighbours. The window and bifold doors on the rear extension would be positioned sufficiently away from neighbouring properties, with the existing hedging on the rear boundary serving to screen any views to the neighbours. As well, the relocated window and door would not be able to offer views to the neighbouring property given the 1.8m high timber fence positioned directly in front of the door and window on this boundary, and which completely blocks out every possibility of overlooking of the neighbouring dwelling.
• 7.4.3 Based on the foregoing, it is considered that the proposed development complies with the requirements of General Policy 2 (g) and the Residential Design Guide in terms of impacts on neighbours.

- 8.0 CONCLUSION

8.1 In summary, the proposal is considered to accord with General Policy 2 of the IOMSP, the guidance set out in the Residential Design Guide 2021, and the land use designation as per the Area Plan for the South. No adverse impact has been identified as likely with respect of the appearance of the site and surrounding area, and the residential amenity of the neighbours. - 9.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

9.1 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 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.

9.2 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 can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 28.04.2022 Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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