Officer Report

Application No.: 15/01046/D Applicant: Carrera Digital Ltd Proposal: Erection of advertising signage Site Address: Falcon House 22 - 24 Ridgeway Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 1EL Case Officer : Miss Abigail Morgan Site Visit: 13.10.2015 Expected Decision Level: Planning Committee

Officer’s Report

THIS APPLICATION TO BE DETERMINED BY COMMITTEE AS IT WAS DEFERRED AT THE LAST MEETING.

UPDATE Further to the deferral of the above application at Committee meeting of 2 November the following comprises the additional information requested by Members;

Previous Billboard

There is no planning history for the previous billboard. The applicant has provided information that the previous billboard was erected by the previous occupiers/owners Morris Brokers Ltd/MBL. They occupied the building from the mid-late 1990s up to mid-2012. Having made enquiries of the previous owner they have stated that the previous billboard was in all likelihood in situ for over ten years. There is no tangible evidence of this.

From the images supplied by the applicant it is apparent that the billboard was advertising the occupiers MBL, which would be in accordance with General Policies 6 and 7.

Regardless, this sign and all its fixtures and fittings were taken down around three years ago giving the appearance that the sign for all intents and purposes had been removed, extinguishing previously established use rights.

Proposed Billboard Materials

The applicant has provided further information on the proposed construction/materials of the sign. It is proposed that the frame of the sign be constructed from marine grade tannelised timber and painted/colour matched to the elevation to which it is to be affixed. These materials are the same as originally proposed.

The design for the proposed advertisement content will be provided by the advertiser. The artwork supplied by the advertiser will be printed to a high quality outdoor 5mm 'Foamex' material or ACM (aluminium composite material) and finished with a matt overlay to reduce glare.

While the application is for just the billboard and it is the intention that the advertisement content will change, the initial/first contract is with a single advertising partner for a period of three years.

The applicant has also provided details of locations where the use of 'Di-Bond' Foamex board has been utilised.

This signs would, in any event, be materially different, as it is proposed as an illuminated general billboard in order to have changing advertisements as part of a new advertising enterprise. To this end the proposal is not linked to the site and would be no different from other sites around Douglas.

THE REST OF THE REPORT IS THE SAME AS THAT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is a building at 22-24 Ridgeway Street, Douglas known as Falcon House. It is a three storey corner building with basement and roof accommodation which is located on the junction of Lord Street and Ridgeway Street. Ridgeway Street is to the west of the application site and has a one way system implemented, travelling south to north from Lord Street. Lord Street travels to the south of the application site. The application site lies within the Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area. - 1.2 The building is currently used as offices.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application is for erection of a static billboard advertisement hoarding. Constructed from standard marine ply with a tannalised timber edged matching beading frame. The billboard and frame will measure 2.8m x 1.8m. It will be illuminated by existing down-lights on the rear façade. - 2.2 The purpose of the billboard is to display advertisements for local businesses.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 In terms of local plan policy, the application site is within an area designated as Predominantly Offices under the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998 Map No. 1 (Central Area). As previously mentioned the application site lies within the Athol Street/Victoria Street Conservation Area. - 3.2 Within the adopted Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, the following policies are considered to be relevant in the determination of this application: General Policy 2, General Policy 6, General Policy 7 and Environment Policy 37. - 3.3 General Policy 6 states that "Within our town 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 material 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;
• (c) are located so as not to cause highway safety hazard."

3.4 General Policy 7 states that "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." - 3.5 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."

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 There have been previous applications on the site; however, none are considered relevant in the consideration of this application.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 DOI Highways do not oppose subject to the following comment 'The position of the billboard does not interfere with the sightline of drivers'. 29.09.2015.

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main issues in the consideration of this application assessing this application are whether the advertisement impacts on the amenity of the area and the Conservation Area. - 6.2 In terms of amenity, General Policy 6 and 7 must be considered to assess whether the advertisements accord with these policies. General Policy 6 states that "Within our town 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 material 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;
• (c) are located so as not to cause highway safety hazard.

6.3 General Policy 7 states that "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." - 6.4 The first issue to consider is whether the advertisements relate to site. None of the advertisements will be advertising the use of the application site i.e. offices. Therefore, General Policy 7 must be applied. Paragraph 6.6.2 of the Strategic Plan provides useful guidance. It states that "Within our towns and villages, well designed and sensitively sited advertisements can contribute positively to the character of a building or area, and can be of help to the general public. However, advertisements which are too bright, overlarge or poorly sited may endanger safety by distracting or confusing highway users and may, both individually and cumulatively detract from amenity by being intrusive by introducing clutter and visual confusion or by masking features of interest or attraction." - 6.5 The proposed advertisements are printed advertisement on marine ply backing board on timber frame. The choice of materials is not considered to be of a high enough design standard considering that the application site is within a Conservation Area. While the advertisement is not overly large it will introduce clutter to the street scene and would impact on the visual amenities of the locality. Businesses in general on the Island do not advertise other businesses from their locations, while billboards are fairly rare. This means that issues of advertisement clutter, where lots of adverts all compete for attention on one site, is generally not of huge concern and where one sees the advert for a business it is usually in the location that business operates from. - 6.6 Policies 6 and 37 relate to the impact an advert will have on the surrounding area. The proposed adverts will change and it is intended to offer it as paid advertising space to any businesses. It is considered the advertisements are unacceptable in policy terms and as such will impact on the visual amenities of the locality and would not preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Conservation Area.

6.7 The Highway Division therefore does not oppose the application has it has no traffic management, parking, or road safety implications, so part (c) of General Policy 6 is not considered to be of concern.

6.5 On the basis of the above it is considered that the proposal is contrary to the reasons indicated within paragraph 6.2 as well as the requirements of General Policy 7 given the signage does also not relate to the site or building. The proposal would result in an unwarranted visual impact and there is insufficient reason to set aside the provisions of these policies in this instance, and would be contrary to the provisions of General Policy 6 and Environment Policy 37. - 7.0 RECOMMENDATION

7.1 It is recommended that the application be refused for the above reasons. - 8.0 PARTY STATUS

8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, the following persons 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 or any other person in whose interest the land becomes vested;
• (c) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material , in this case, Department of Infrastructure Highway Services and (e) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated.

Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Fisheries are part of the same Department as is the planning authority and as such should not be afforded interested person status under the Order.

With effect from 1 June 2015, the Transfer of Planning & Building Control Functions Order 2015 amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1999 to give effect to the meaning of the word 'Department' to be the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture unless otherwise directed by that Order.

Recommendation Recommended Decision: Refused

Date of Recommendation:

• R 1. The proposed advertising signage would not carry advertisements relating to the business carried on within the site. As such, the proposal conflicts with General Policy 7 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007.
• R 2. The proposed signage would, by virtue of its materials, size and location on a prominent part of a building that is itself within a prominent, visually sensitive and well-used location and conservation area, fails to respect the existing form or features of the building on which it would sit and is therefore contrary to parts (a) and (b) of General Policy 6 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 and to Environment Policy 37.

I confirm that this decision has been made by the Planning Committee in accordance with the authority afforded to it under the appropriate delegated authority.

Decision Made : RFUSED Committee Meeting Date:…16.11.2015

Signed : A Morgan Presenting Officer

Further to the decision of the Committee an additional report/condition reason was required (included as supplemental paragraph to the officer report).

Signatory to delete as appropriate YES/NO

Customer note

This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/customers and archive records.