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20/00436/D Page 1 of 5
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 20/00436/D Applicant : Lloyds Banking Group Proposal : Installation of illuminated signage Site Address : Villiers Building Victoria Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 2LN
Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Photo Taken : Site Visit : Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 06.08.2020 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The advertisement(s) hereby granted consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.
Reason: To avoid the accumulation of unimplemented advertisement consents.
N 1. This approval relates only to the installation of the signage shown in the submitted drawings, the other alterations to the building having been the subject of a separate application for planning approval (20/00390/B).
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2, General Policy 5, Environment Policy 35 and Environment Policy 37 of the Strategic Plan.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This decision relates to the documents, design statement, and the following drawings: no. 88888888-AREX-00-0020 no. 88888888-AREX-E1-0010 Rev B no. 88888888-AR01-E1-0010 Rev K no. 88888888-AREX-E1-0011 Rev B no. 88888888-AR01-E1-0011 Rev K no. 88888888-AR01-E1-0012 Rev K date-stamped as having been received 28th April 2020. __
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE
1.1 The application site is the curtilage of the Villiers Building, Victoria Street, Douglas, the ground floor of a five-storey office building located on the corner of Victoria Street and Loch Promenade. The building is currently partly vacant.
2.0 THE PROPOSAL
2.1 The application seeks approval for the installation of illuminated and non-illuminated signage.
2.2 On the Ground floor of Victoria Street elevation: o Internally-illuminated shard shopfront signage (approx. 10.8m0.9m); o Illuminated projecting sign on the left of shopfront signage (approx. 0.9m0.9m); o Installation of 2 ATM with illuminated collars; o Creation of an entrance to the right of the ATMs; o Reposition the existing bi-folding door one panel right to the existing; o Internal-illuminated sign of the black horse above the entrance door (approx. 0.9m*0.9m); o Aluminium PPC shopfront in light grey to match existing; o Barcode manifestation across screen and doors; o Green Scheme frosted vinyl window film fitted to the inside face of other glass (width approx. 1m, 0.6m above ground).
2.3 On the Victoria Street elevation: o Replacing existing blue reveals around windows with more green paint; o Internal-illuminated flat sign of the black horse in between the staircase and the windows on the fourth floor (approx. 1.7m*1.7m).
2.4 On the curved end of the building: o Internally illuminated curved sign on the ground floor (approx. 0.6m0.6m); o Internally illuminated curved sign on top of the fourth floor (approx. 1.41.4m).
2.5 On the ground floor of the Loch Promenade elevation: o Black Horse Finance image on window file applied to the inside face of the glass of two shopfront window panels; o Black Horse Signe centred over the entrance door (approx. 1.3m0.6m) o Removal of two existing doors and replacing them with fixed windows; o Four-side floor-mounted illumined totem sign (WDH approx. 0.8m0.8m*2.1m); o Internally illuminated green light strips to window heads and Internal A0-sized landscape cill mounted marketing unit for three punched windows; o Internally illuminated green light strips to window heads for all curtain windows between the punched windows; o Moss green film with directional test and black horse logo on the punched window on the far north; o Green-scheme frosted vinyl window film fitted to the inside face of other glass (width approx. 1m, 0.6m above ground).
2.6 On the Loch Promenade elevation:
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o Replacing existing blue reveals around windows to more green paint; o Internal-illuminated flat sign of the black above the front entrance on the fourth floor (approx. 1.7m*1.7m).
2.7 On the end elevation, there will be an image of the Lloyds Black Horse and the size is approx. 0.65m*0.65m. It is going to be at the top of the ground floor on the southeast elevation of the northwest part of the building close to the northwest elevation.
2.8 On the rear elevation, there will be an illuminated fascia sign saying "LLOYDS BANK". The signage is going to be on top of the rear entrance door. It has the same length as the rear entrance and is approx. 0.5m high. The signage has a green background. The letters are half- high as the signage.
2.9 The application also proposes Barcode manifestation across the rear entrance door.
3.0 PLANNING HISTORY
3.1 Erection of a new shop front, installation of two ATMs, relocation of a doorway, decoration, and advertisement on the Victoria Street and Loch Promenade elevations were approved under PA 20/00390/B.
4.0 PLANNING POLICY
4.1 In terms of the local plan, the site is designated as "Predominantly offices" in the Douglas Local Plan 1998. It is within the Douglas Promenade Conservation Area.
4.2 The Control of Advertisements Regulations 2013 make it clear that the only considerations which can be applied to applications made under them are in the interests of amenity and public safety. In the case of amenity, such as the general characteristics of the area, it needs to be taken into account along with the presence of any features of historic, architectural, cultural, or similar interest. The public safety should consider the safety of any person using a road, railway, tramway, harbour or aerodrome including the obscuration of any traffic sign or similar.
4.3 In terms of strategic plan policy, due to the designation of the site and the nature of the application it is appropriate to consider the following policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016:
4.4 General Policy 2 states: "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".
4.5 General Policy 6: "Within our towns and villages, the display of external advertisements will be permitted on the site or building to which they relate provided they: (a) are of a high standard of design and materials and relate well to the building and site on which they are to be displayed; (b) are in keeping with and do not detract from the surrounding area; and (c) are located so as not to cause a highway safety hazard."
4.6 Environment Policy 35 states:
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"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."
4.7 Environment Policy 37 states: "As a general policy, advertisements within Conservation Areas will be permitted only if: i) the proposal preserves or enhances the Conservation Area; ii) the signage is in a style appropriate to the character of the area; iii) traditional materials and finishes are used and glossy and highly reflective materials are excluded from proposals; and iv) internally illuminated box fascia and projecting box signs are excluded from the proposals.
5.0 REPRESENTATION
5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection on this application (18/05/2020).
5.2 DoI Highway Services does not object to this application with conditions relating to structures within the highway requiring a licence and also the lighting levels of the illumination (18/05/2020).
6.0 ASSESSMENT
6.1 The main issue to be considered in the assessment of this application is the impact of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the street scene and the Conservation Area.
6.2 Although located within the Conservation Area, the building is a modern office building consists of mostly curtain windows for most of the elevations. Therefore, the character of the area is modern although being within a conservation area. The signage would be directly related to the usage of Lloyds Bank. Similar signage has been approved before. The proposed illumination would not stand out from the surroundings as the size, location, and colour scheme fits with an office building and therefore the visual impact on the Conservation Area is neutral, and arguably, even beneficial and it brought the building back to life, displaying it is in active use.
6.4 EP37 states that internally illuminated boxes should be excluded from the proposal. As mentioned in 6.2, the character of the area is modern office building so illumination does fit with the modern character therefore can be allowed in this case.
7.0 CONCLUSION
7.1 For the reasons that the proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2, General Policy 5, Environment Policy 35 and Environment Policy 37 of the Strategic Plan, it is recommended for an approval.
7.2 It is not considered necessary to attach a condition regarding the level of illumination of the signs as such conditions have not been attached to previous illuminated signage on this building nor to any other signage erected on the Island and the illumination is not expected to result in excessive levels of lighting.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2013 (As Amended), the following persons are automatically interested persons:
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o The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant's agent; o Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material; o The local authority in whose district the land which the subject of the application is situated. o the Highways, Ports and Railways divisions of the Department of Infrastructure.
8.2 The decision-maker must determine: o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than those explicitly listed above) 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.
Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 07.08.2020
Determining officer Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett
Principal Planner
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