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Application No.: 23/00042/B Applicant: Mr Dominic & Mrs Leanne McGreevy Proposal: Conversion and extension of existing outbuilding to provide guest accommodation/garage/home gym Site Address: Riversdale Strang Road Union Mills Isle Of Man IM4 4NP Planning Officer: Mr Toby Cowell Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 27.06.2023
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
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.
Reason: This permission has been granted solely on the basis of providing ancillary habitable accommodation. Any further intensification of use of the building will require further assessment as to the planning merits by the Department.
N 1. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Please be aware that a ban on the installation of fossil fuel heating systems in any new building(s) and or extension(s), will come into force on 1st January 2025.
You therefore are encouraged to ensure that your proposed development includes alternatives to fossil fuel heating systems if you believe that such works will not be completed by that date.
To this end, if you propose an alternative, such as air source or ground source heat pump(s), or any other heating system that would require planning approval, the details of this should be
addressed now. This may require you to resubmit your planning application to accommodate the alternative permitted heating system proposed.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.
The proposed works to the existing outbuilding are considered to be acceptable from a design perspective, without detriment to the character and appearance of the immediate locality or the wider streetscene. The resultant outbuilding would remain ancillary to the principal dwellinghouse, and therefore not give rise to subsequent amenity, ecological, drainage, parking or highways considerations. The proposals are deemed compliant with Spatial Policy 3, General Policy 2, Environment Policies 4 and 42 and Transport Policies 4 and 7 of the Strategic Plan (2016).
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the following drawings and documents; Location plan - 01 Received 19.01.23 Existing plans and elevations - 02 RevA Proposed plans and elevations - 03 RevA Received 22.06.23 Bat report Received 24.04.23 _______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons None. _____________________________________________________________________________
1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site relates to a two-storey stone outbuilding set within the curtilage of Riversdale, Strang Road; a two-storey detached dwellinghouse located on the southern side of the highway within the built-up area of Union Mills. The property's rear garden extends southward up to the northern bank of the River Dhoo, and includes a series of mature trees along its southern boundary.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Planning permission is sought to renovate an existing two-storey detached outbuilding within the curtilage of Riversdale to provide guest accommodation, including a lounge/kitchen at ground-floor with a single bedroom and ensuite at first-floor. The proposals also include the erection of a single-storey rear extension to the outbuilding to provide a gym and garage, incorporating a dual-pitched roof for each element. The resultant building would effectively resemble an L-shape, with only the upper section of the attached garage likely to be only partially visible from the streetscene due to the downward sloping topography of the site. - 2.2 The proposals further include the erection of a 1.8m high retaining wall and glass balustrades extending from the garage and eastward into the rear garden. The existing outbuilding would be repointed and finished in lime mortar, with the new build elements to be finished in painted render and slate roof tiles to match the newly extended and refurbished principal dwelling. Minor fenestration alterations are further proposed to the existing outbuilding to facilitate its renovation and conversion into habitable accommodation.
3.1 Various planning applications exist in relation to the conversion of the existing outbuilding to form a dwelling, the latest of which was approved in 2013 with a third party appeal against the decision being subsequently withdrawn (PA 13/00376/B). The most recent permission for the site relates to alterations and extensions to the principal dwelling, approved in 2018 under PA 18/00573/B. - 4.0 PLANNING POLICY
4.1 The site lies within an area zoned as 'predominantly residential' in the Area Plan for the East and within the settlement boundary of Union Mills. The site is not located within a Conservation Area or identified within an area at risk of flooding.
4.2 The following policies from the 2016 Strategic Plan are considered pertinent in the assessment of this application;
Strategic Policy 2 Priority for new development to identified towns and villages 3 To respect the character of our towns and villages 5 Design and visual impact
Spatial Policy 3 Development in Service Villages General Policy 2 General Development Considerations Environment Policy 4 Development required to safeguard biodiversity 42 Designed to respect the character and identity of the locality Transport Policy 4 Highways safety 7 Parking
5.1 Braddan Commissioners - no objection. (13.02.23)
5.2 Highways Services - development would have no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and /or parking. The Applicant is advised to consider the provision of an electric vehicle charging point to aide Active Travel and net zero objectives. (03.02.23)
5.3 DEFA Biodiversity - The Ecosystem Policy Team can confirm that the Manx Bat Group's Bat Report for Riversdale dated April 2023 is all in order and that a suitable level of assessment has been undertaken. The Manx Bat Group concluded that bats were not roosting in the outbuilding, but found 3 species of nesting birds.
The nesting space of these birds will be lost as a result of the loss of the building and therefore mitigation is required in the form of artificial nest box/brick provision. The bird species found were house sparrow, great tit and jackdaw, all of which have different nest box requirements. For house sparrows we recommend that an integrated house sparrow nest brick (double chambered if possible because they like to nest communally) is built high up under the eaves of northern elevation of the new dwelling. For jackdaws, we recommend a Jackdaw nest box, but we are not sure where this could be located.
We note the applicant has ticked no to the question about whether there are any trees on site, but there are trees along the southern and eastern boundary. Do any of these actually belong to the applicant? If yes, this is where we would recommend this box being installed. For great tits, we recommend the erection of a small entry hole nest box high up on the northern or eastern elevation of the new dwelling. The entry hole must be at least 28mm wide to allow entry for great tits.
We therefore request that a condition is secured for no construction to commence unless a bird nesting mitigation plan has been submitted to Planning and agreed in writing. The plan should contain details, including location and specification, of the bird boxes/bricks suitable for house sparrow, jackdaw and great tit (at least 1 of each), which are to be erected as mitigation for the loss of bird nesting sites.
As an enhancement for wildlife, the applicants may also wish to consider installing a bat brick/box on the new dwelling, ideally high up under the eaves of the southern elevation. (27.04.23)
5.4 Flood Risk Management - Although the proposed buildings appear to be above the flood line FRM would recommend that flood resilient materials are used and because the building is going to be used as guest accommodation we request that an emergency escape plan is made available to the guests. (06.02.23) - 5.5 Highways Drainage - Allowing surface water runoff onto a public highway would contravene Section 58 of the Highway Act 1986 and guidance contained in section 11.3.11 of the Manual for Manx Roads. The applicant has detailed a drainage channel to capture any surface water run-off however they have not identified a discharge point? (e.g. soakaway?) - 5.6 Manx Utilities Authority - no comments received at the time of writing.
6.1 The proposals relate to the renovation and refurbishment of an existing domestic outbuilding to provide ancillary habitable residential accommodation with minimal external changes to the existing building, together with a single-storey rear extension to provide a garage and gym. The principal of development within an area zoned as 'predominantly residential' within Union Mills is acceptable in accordance with Spatial Policy 3. The proposed guest accommodation has been submitted on the basis of remaining ancillary to the principal dwellinghouse, which can be further safeguarded by an appropriately worded condition should planning permission be forthcoming. No concerns are raised with respect to the external changes to the building, which would pose no significant material visual impact upon the character of the immediate locality and wider streetscene.
6.2 Likewise, the design, scale and form of the proposed rear extension is considered to be acceptable in the context of the vernacular of the retained two-storey outbuilding, particularly noting its reduced scale and therefore comprising an ancillary and sympathetic addition to this historic building. The proposals are therefore considered to be acceptable from a design and visual impact perspective, in compliance with General Policy 2 (b) & (c).
6.3 Due to the scale and siting of the proposed extensions to the existing outbuilding, it is not considered that the amenities of surrounding residential properties, and in particular the adjacent property of Forest Lodge to the immediate west would be demonstrably affected as a result of the development with respect to overlooking, loss of light or overshadowing. - 6.4 Likewise, following the submission of the requested Bat Survey Report, it has been confirmed that the building is not being used by bats and therefore the development can proceed without bat avoidance or mitigation measures being required. Whilst it has been noted that 3 species of nesting birds have been found in the building, the scheme has been altered
7.1 The proposed works to the existing outbuilding are considered to be acceptable from a design perspective, without detriment to the character and appearance of the immediate locality or the wider streetscene. The resultant outbuilding would remain ancillary to the principal dwellinghouse, and therefore not give rise to subsequent amenity, ecological, drainage, parking or highways considerations. The proposals are deemed compliant with Spatial Policy 3, General Policy 2, Environment Policies 4 and 42 and Transport Policies 4 and 7 of the Strategic Plan (2016), and therefore recommended for approval. - 8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:
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: 28.06.2023 Determining officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner
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