Planning Officer Report

Case Officer: Mr Jamie Leadbeater Photo Taken: 26.01.2012 Site Visit: 26.01.2012 Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation

Officer's Report

The Application Site

1. The application site is the residential curtilage of an end-of-terrace dwelling on Murrays Road, Douglas. The property is of Victorian age and overlooks Sheridan Apartments which is a Registered Building, formally known as the Falcon Okells Brewery.
2. The property has three storeys and a pitched grey slate roof with two chimney stacks. It has two bay windows on the ground floor, one either side of the front entrance. The front and side elevations are render finished and painted cream, however the front elevation is in better condition. The front elevation, including the bay windows, also has painted white cornicing, clearly dividing each floor of the building.
3. The front of the property has a small garden area containing vegetation and a lawn area between the dwelling and front wall bordering the pavement of the residential street. The front wall is built in a traditional Victorian style with rendered stone work forming the bulk, with traditional style painted iron railings on top. The wall, excluding the railings, is built approximately 1 metre up from the ground parallel to the gradient of the slope that the application site is on.

The Proposal

1. The proposal consists of the installation of an illuminated sign and non-illuminated sign (Retrospective). The signage has already been erected. The illuminated sign is positioned on the front ground floor elevation above the front door and the non-illuminated sign is erected on the third floor of the side elevation.

Planning History

1. Whilst the application site has been the subject of previous planning applications it is considered that none of these are specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.

Planning Policy

1. The application site falls within an area designated for Predominantly Residential Use in the Douglas (South) Local Plan 1998. There are no policies accompanying the local plan map,

Application No.:	12/00024/D
Applicant:	Mr & Mrs Peter Lunt
Proposal:	Installation of illuminated and non illuminated signage (retrospective)
Site Address:	2 Murrays Road
Douglas
Isle Of Man
IM2 3HT

which are specifically material to the assessment of the planning application. Since the local plan was adopted in 1998, the Douglas (Ballaquayle Road) Conservation Area was adopted in 2003, meaning that the application site now falls immediately adjacent to the boundary of the conservation area.

1. The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 contains three policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this current planning application.

General Policy 6 states:

"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".

General Policy 7 states:

"Within our towns and villages, the display of external advertisements on sites or buildings other than those to which they relate will not generally be permitted".

Environment Policy 36 states:

"Where development is proposed outside of, but close to, the boundary of a Conservation Area, this will only be permitted where it will not detrimentally affect important views into and out of the Conservation Area".

Representations

1. Occupants of 12 Sheridan Apartments, Falcon Street, Douglas, have expressed the opinion that the property on the application site is an improvement on its previous appearance as an 'eyesore' and is now considered an 'attractive guest house'. They are in full support of the applicants and do not believe the proposal is detrimental to the neighbourhood. The occupants infer they do not believe that the proposal is visually detrimental to the surrounding area, which is considered to raise a material planning considerations and therefore will be accounted for in the assessment of this application.
2. Douglas Borough Council has no objection to the proposal.
3. The Highways Division recommends approval as the proposal has no adverse traffic management, parking or road safety implications.

Assessment

1. The application site, being an end-of-terrace property, is considered to be a prominent feature on the street scene as viewed from the bottom of Murrays Road, and therefore it is considered development on the site has greater significance on the appearance of the street-scene than a middle-of-terrace property in this case.
2. The illuminated signage above the front door and the non-illuminated signage on the side elevation of the building are considered to be sympathetic in design, with regards to finish

and material used, to the external appearance of the property on the application site and is therefore considered acceptable in design terms.

1. The scale of the signage above the front door is considered to be appropriate taking into account the size of the front elevation. The larger signage on the side elevation is also considered to be of an appropriate scale and would respect the size of the nearby windows and chimney stacks. Although the illuminated signage will be visible in the evening and at night, it is not considered the signage will have an adverse effect on immediate surrounding area.

1. Both the illuminated and non-illuminated signage are considered to support the commercial use of the property.

1. Whilst the application site is located close to the boundary of Douglas (Ballaquayle Road) Conservation Area, it is not considered that the proposed signage will adversely affect views into the conservation area and the design of the signage is appropriate to the scale and design of the property.

1. The signage would not result in increased danger to users of the highway. There are no objections from the Highways Division.

1. Overall, it is considered that the proposal complies with the relevant adopted planning policies stated above.

Recommendation

1. It is recommended that the planning application be approved.

Party Status

1. It is considered that the following parties that made representations to the planning application should be afforded interested party status:

The local authority, Douglas Borough Council are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.

Occupants of 12 Sheridan Apartments are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2006, paragraph 2 (1) (C), considered 'interested persons' and should be afforded party status as they raise a material consideration that can be used to assess the application.

1. It is considered that the following parties that made representations to the planning application should not be afforded interested party status:

The Department of Transport Highways and Traffic Division is now part of the Department of Infrastructure of which the planning authority is part. As such, the Highways and Traffic Division cannot be afforded party status in this instance.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 13.02.2012

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal

• : Notes attached to refusals

C 1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

C 2. This approval relates to the erection of one illuminated signage and one non-illuminated signage to the property known as 2 Murrays Road, Douglas, shown in the existing front elevation and side elevation photographs submitted with the planning application, received on 09 January 2012.

I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control / Development Control Manager/ Senior Planning Officer.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 22/2/12

Determining officer (delete as appropriate)

Signed : _________________________ Anthony Holmes Senior Planning Officer

Signed : _________________________ Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control

Signed : _________________________ Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer

Signed : _________________________ Jennifer Chance Development Control Manager