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29 August 2014 14/00914/D Page 1 of 4 PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No. : 14/00914/D Applicant : Carter Moon Limited Proposal : Erection of illuminated and non-illuminated signage Site Address : 55 Victoria Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 2LA

Case Officer : Mr Edmond Riley Photo Taken :

Site Visit : 27.08.2014 Expected Decision Level :

Officer Delegation

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE

1.1 The application site is the curtilage of an estate agency situated at the ground floor of a terraced building fronting onto Victoria Street in Douglas. The unit is currently vacant but has planning approval for the use of an estate agent; its frontage is in a state of notable disrepair and of a poor build and design quality; thin metal strips frame single-glazed floor-to- ceiling window panels. The access door is slightly recessed at lies to the far right of the unit when viewed from the outside. No signage is currently in situ.

1.2 Surrounding the site is a mixture of town centre uses but also designs, with some units having retained almost all their traditional features while others, like the application site, have lost these completely.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL

2.1 Advertisement consent is sought for the installation of illuminated and non-illuminated signage. The non-illuminated signage will take the form of a projecting aluminium sign tray with vinyl graphics, projecting approximately 100mm from the wall. It would be 600mm square and sit 3.2m above ground level; it would be covered in vinyl graphics showing the company logo, name and telephone number in dark green and yellow colouring to reflect Carter Moon's corporate colours.

2.2 The illuminated signage would sit across the full width of the shopfront, measuring 4.865mm in width and 685mm in height; this would have the same colouration and lettering and logo as the projecting sign, and be constructed of powder-coated aluminium. The lettering would be formed of flat-cut acrylic to project 25mm from the main sign itself. An LED trough 3850mm in width would sit centrally on the sign and project lighting downwards; the trough would be in either black or the same dark green of the signage.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY

3.1 Planning approval was granted for the change of use of the unit from retail to financial and professional services under PA 14/00330/C; approval was also previously granted for the change of use of the unit from retail to office accommodation under PA 08/02106/C. It is unknown if this latter approval was implemented, but it is evident from the state of the current shopfront that the latter approval has yet to be implemented.

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29 August 2014 14/00914/D Page 2 of 4 3.2 A new shopfront was approved under 14/00511/B; this gave approval for the installation of a fully-glazed frontage of contemporary design.

3.3 No other planning applications on this site are considered of material relevance to the determination of the current application.

4.0 PLANNING STATUS AND POLICY

4.1 The site lies within an area of Predominantly Offices on the Douglas Local Plan of 1998. It is also within a Conservation Area. The use approved under PA 14/00330/C was considered compatible with this designation.

4.2 The Strategic Plan contains two policies of relevance to the determination of the 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".

4.3 Environment Policy 37 builds on this: "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 REPRESENTATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS

5.1 Highway Services have no objections to the application.

5.2 The Conservation Officer has been consulted on the application and has no objections.

6.0 ASSESSMENT

6.1 The new shopfront with its contemporary glazed finish will bring a welcome lift to a unit that sits within a Conservation Area and in close proximity to some Registered Buildings. This application for advertisement consent should be seen in that context.

6.2 Environment Policy 37 is perhaps the key policy; although General Policy 6 contains similar wording, the former policy provides extra protection and matters to take account of over and above those raised in the latter policy.

6.3 In this regard, it is considered that the proposed signage is acceptable. The materials used will be non-glossy and lit in a relatively modest way; while there are other ways to light a sign than that might be more appropriate (individual lamps, for example), the LED trough is not an unusual method and is also not, in and of itself, objectionable.

6.4 The pole-mounted lettering is also considered to be a positive feature, and will act to lift the signage as a whole. Other examples of this approach can be found in Victoria Street itself, and also on other commercial premises in other Conservation Areas. Metal is generally preferred but, as with the lighting, the acrylic approach is not in any way objectionable.

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29 August 2014 14/00914/D Page 3 of 4 6.5 The side-mounted sign is also considered acceptable. While a top-hung mounting might be more appropriate for the Conservation Area, it is noted that the otherwise contemporary approach taken on the unit as a whole would potentially clash with a more traditional approach such as this. It is situated 3.2m above ground level and therefore will not adversely affect pedestrian safety.

6.6 The effect on public amenity from the proposal is judged to be acceptable in the context of the streetscene and unlikely to have any negative impact on private amenity of nearby residents or businesses. In this regard, it is considered that the proposal represents an enhancement to the Conservation Area and therefore meets the provisions of both Environment Policy 37 and General Policy 6.

6.7 It is noted that the submitted plans conflict slightly in respect of the colour of the LED trough; the architect's drawings are clear that it will be a corporate dark green, while the specification sheet of the trough itself indicates that it would be either in the corporate dark green or black. While the green would be preferable from a consistency point of view, it is also considered that black would be acceptable; as such, either colour would be appropriate and no condition specifying the particular colour is considered necessary.

6.8 As noted, the Conservation Officer has been consulted on the proposal and considers it acceptable for the building and in the context of the wider streetscene.

7.0 RECOMMENDATION

7.1 It is recommended that the planning application be approved subject to conditions.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS

8.1 In line with regulation 9(5) of the Control of Advert Regulations 2005, the following Persons are considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application: the applicant or, if there is one, the applicant's agent; the owner and occupier of the land the subject of the application; Highway Services, and the Local Authority in whose district the land the subject of the application sits.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision:

Permitted

Date of Recommendation:

29.08.2014

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

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

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29 August 2014 14/00914/D Page 4 of 4 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.

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This approval relates to This consent relates to the following plans and information, date-stamped as having been received 31st July 2014: the unscaled Site Map; the unscaled Location Map; 1417-VS-100; 1417-VS-101-A; the unscaled Projecting Sign Illustration and the Troughlight Illumination specification sheet.

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

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 2/9/14

Determining officer (delete as appropriate)

Signed :... Chris Balmer

Senior Planning Officer

Signed :... Sarah Corlett

Senior Planning Officer

Signed : Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher

Director of Planning and Building Control

Signed :... Jennifer Chance

Head of Development Management