12 October 2009 · Committee
Unit 6, Spring Valley Industrial Estate, Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM2 2qr
The application sought outline approval to demolish the existing unit at Unit 6, Spring Valley Industrial Estate, Douglas, and erect retail units with ancillary car parking and servicing. The site is an unoccupied light industrial unit on the northern side of Cooil Road, with land to the south fronting the road. The Planning Committee refused the application in October 2009. The decision reflected the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007's aim of directing all new retail development to established shopping centres, rather than out-of-centre industrial estate locations. The applicant failed to demonstrate that the proposed retail use would not undermine the vitality and viability of existing centres, or that the nature or size of the goods meant they could not reasonably be accommodated within an existing centre.
The Planning Committee refused the application on 12 October 2009. The key reason was that the proposal conflicted with the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, which directs new retail development to existing shopping centres. The applicant did not adequately show that the development would not harm the vitality and viability of existing centres, nor that the proposed goods could not reasonably be sold from an existing centre.
Refusal Reasons
no retail developments will be permitted in the Parish District of Braddan with the exception of retail provision designed to serve the local neighbourhood requirements
zoned as 'Predominantly Industrial'
No development of retail use, nor conversion of existing buildings to retail use, will be permitted in existing or future industrial areas
general criteria to which all development should be subject
encourages the growth of employment opportunities subject to other policies
employment land
directs all new retail development to town and village centres
