A controversial plan in Port St Mary has been refused by planners.
The plan (15/01077/B by Andrew and Colette Gerrard) was to demolish the current dormer bungalow called ‘Geay Varrey’ and replace it with a two-storey flat-roofed structure.
It provoked objections from several residents, concerned principally about over massing in proportion to other dwellings in the area which are principally single storey, except for Gull Cottage which is adjacent to the proposed plan.
One resident, Jason Roberts, who is clerk to Port Erin commissioners and was previously the clerk in Port St Mary, pointed out: ‘Gull Cottage breached the commissioners’ covenant (in the area) which was an oversight by the developer and Port St Mary commissioners some time ago [before Mr Roberts was clerk]. This was only picked up after the building had been constructed and PSMC accepted a fee rather than demand the building be demolished.’
He said the same should not happen with this plan.
Planners agreed the proposed building would be ‘strikingly different to the others in the streetscene due to the vertical nature of the finishes, the relatively flat roof and the overall mass of the building’. It would also introduce first-floor windows and the’perception of being overlooked’ for neighbouring properties. The gardens behind the development, at 3 and 5 Kallow Point Road, would be ‘dominated by a two-storey building of greater mass than the existing and with a flat rear elevation.’