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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 18/00488/CON Applicant : Mr Roy Tilleard Proposal : Registered Building Consent for the installation of non- illuminated signage on Bridge Street - Registered Building 269 (In association with application 18/00487/D) Site Address : Lorne House Douglas Street Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1AZ
Case Officer : Miss S E Corlett Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 18.06.2018 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The works hereby granted registered building consent shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this consent.
Reason: To comply with paragraph 2(2)(a) of schedule 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented registered building consents.
C 2. Prior to the installation of the sign details of how it will be fixed to the wall must be approved by the Department. It would be preferable to insert any fixings into the mortar rather than the stonework.
Reason: to avoid damage to the wall which is part of the curtilage of the Registered Building.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This decision relates to drawings 10A, (03)001 and (03)510 all received on 9th May, 2018.
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Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
It is recommended that the owners/occupiers of the following properties should be given Interested Person Status as they are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 6(4):
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The Isle of Man Victorian Society who are a properly constituted organisation who raise material issues. __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The site is the curtilage of Lorne House, a Registered Building (RB269) which sits in landscaped grounds to the north east of Bridge Street and behind properties which front onto Bridge Street, Victoria Road, Smetana Close, Douglas Street, School Lane and Brewery Wharf. The house sits slightly off centre within the site, towards the southern boundary and with landscaped gardens between it and Bridge Street and open paddocks and a tennis court to the north and north west with a former kitchen garden to the east.
1.2 Vehicular access to the building is through a tarmac driveway leading from Douglas Street between stone pillars and underneath a stone arch: pedestrian access is also available through a timber door on Bridge Street and up a path at the edge of the lawn.
1.3 The property has recently had permission for a change of use to include an education/visitor centre with function space and catering (17/00685/C). This approval included the requirement for a management plan to control vehicular traffic which in turn suggested a scheme of signage. This included signage on the access from Douglas Street and also a sign was proposed to indicate to pedestrians entering or passing the site from Bridge Street, the times that the premises would be open. It was considered that as the application had been a change of use, a proposal which itself would require consent under the Control of Advertisements Regulations 2013, it could not be approved as part of the satisfaction of conditions attached to that application. The other signage was considered to have deemed consent under those Regulations.
1.4 As such, the details of that signage are now sought. As changes of use of Registered Buildings do not require RB consent and the signage with deemed consent was not considered to materially affect the Registered Building, no RB consent was previously required: it is now sought for the proposed sign (18/00488/CON).
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the installation of a non-illuminated sign, 450mm by 450mm, made of polyester powder coated aluminium with a grey background with white lettering, proclaiming:
LORNE HOUSE - OPENING HOURS - Monday - Friday 9.30 - 17.00 Saturdays 10.00 - 16.30 Sundays 10.00 - 16.30
2.2 The sign will be positioned to the right of the pedestrian door in the Bridge Road wall, 1.375m above ground level from the adjoining pavement.
PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within Castletown's Conservation Area and is designated as Woodland. As mentioned above, the building is Registered.
3.2 As such, the following Strategic Plan policies and Departmental guidance is relevant:
3.2.1 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
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(c) are located so as not to cause a highway safety hazard.
3.2.2 Environment Policy 32: Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted.
3.2.3 Environment Policy 35: 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.
3.2.4 Environment Policy 37: 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.
3.2.5 Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Guide to the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man states the following:
3.2.6 POLICY RB/3 General criteria applied in considering registered building applications The issues that are generally relevant to the consideration of all registered building applications are:-
o The importance of the building, its intrinsic architectural and historic interest and rarity, relative to the Island as a whole and within the local context; o The particular physical features of the building (which may include its design, plan, materials or location) which justify its inclusion in the register; descriptions annexed to the entry in the register may draw attention to features of particular interest or value, but they are not exhaustive and other features of importance, (e.g. Interiors, murals, hidden fireplaces) may come to light after the building's entry in the register; o The building's setting and its contribution to the local scene, which may be very important, e.g. Where it forms an element in a group, park, garden or other townscape or landscape, or where it shares particular architectural forms or details with other buildings nearby (including other registered buildings).
3.2.7 POLICY RB/5 ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS In considering whether to grant planning approval for development which affects a registered building or its setting and in considering whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.
Registered building consent is required for the building's alteration in any way which would affect its special architectural or historic character. There will be a general presumption against alteration or extension of registered buildings, except where a convincing case can be made, against the criteria set out in this section, for such proposals.
Applicants for registered building consent for alteration or extension to a registered building must be able to justify their proposals. They will be required to show why the works which would affect the character of the registered building are desirable or necessary and they should provide full information to enable the Department to assess the likely impact of their proposals
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on the special architectural or historic interest of the building and on its setting. Where registered buildings are the subject of successive applications for alteration or extension, consideration will also be given to the cumulative effect upon the building's special interest as a result of several minor works which may individually seem of little consequence.
3.2.8 POLICY CA/2 SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS When considering proposals for the possible development of any land or buildings which fall within the conservation area, the impact of such proposals upon the special character of the area, will be a material consideration when assessing the application.
Where a development is proposed for land which, although not within the boundaries of the conservation area, would affect its context or setting, or views into or out of the area; such issues should be given special consideration where the character or appearance of a conservation area may be affected.
3.2.9 ADVERTISEMENT CONTROL All external advertisements affect not only the appearance of the building upon which they are displayed, but also the neighbourhood where the building is located. This will apply particularly to illuminated signage which is often formed from shiny, non-traditional materials and can result in an unsuitable and harsh appearance which detracts from the character of the building and a conservation area as a whole. The aesthetic quality of a building can be markedly affected by the installation of inappropriate external signage.
Where matters such as Corporate Image are a consideration; for a conservation area the Department may require a deviation from what might be acceptable in other high street locations and many large corporate bodies do have alternative designs of signage which might be suitable for use in conservation areas. In many cases it will be necessary for signage to adopt traditional design and materials, in keeping with the character of the building and neighbourhood as a whole. Externally illuminated signage with the appropriate detailing and colour rendered lamps, may be judged suitable.
3.3 The Registration of Lorne House was subject to a lengthy process of Registration and a subsequent application for de-Registration which culminated in the Registration being confirmed. The process involved detailed consideration of the building and its context. The description of the site in the Registration supporting information, mentions the high perimeter wall at the outset, and the Registration extends to the perimeter walling including that to which the proposed signage is to be attached.
PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The site has been the subject of many applications, the most relevant of which is that referred to in paragraph 1.3 above. It should also be noted that planning approval has been refused for the creation of a vehicular access into the site from Bridge Street - 10/01046/B.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 The Isle of Man Victorian Society do not object but comment that any damage to the polyester finish may result in the aluminium being affected by the salt air (30.05.18).
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The issue here is whether the proposed signage would have any adverse impact on either the special character of the Conservation Area or that of the Registered Building. Conservation Area policies also require that development either preserves or enhances the character or appearance of the Area.
6.2 The sign is modest in size and not particularly striking in colour or material, clearly being designed to be noticed by the passing pedestrian and is not particularly seeking custom or
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passing trade. The grey colour of the background will complement the natural colour of the stone in the wall behind. If no longer required, the sign could and should be removed. A condition should be imposed to control the method of attaching the sign to the wall, ideally inserting any fixings into the mortar rather than the stone, to preserve the integrity of the wall which is part of the curtilage of a Registered Building.
6.3 The Registered Buildings Officer has been consulted and supports the contents and recommendations set out in this report.
CONCLUSION 7.1 The sign relates to a lawful and approved use and is not considered to have any adverse effect on the Conservation Area or the Registered Building and the application is supported.
INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Registered Buildings) Regulations 2013, the following are automatically interested persons:
(a) The applicant, or if there is one, the applicant’s agent; (b) The owner and the occupier of any land that is the subject of the application; (c) Manx National Heritage; and (d) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated
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I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Director of Planning and Building Control in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 19.06.2018
Determining officer
Signed : J CHANCE
Jennifer Chance
Director of Planning and Building Control
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