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PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Application No. : 20/01551/D Applicant : Isle Of Man Railways Proposal : Erection of notice board Site Address : Railway Station Victoria Road Castletown Isle Of Man IM9 1EF
Planning Officer: Mr Paul Visigah Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 08.03.2021 __
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.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The application is considered to accord with General Policies 6 and Environment Policy 37 of the Strategic Plan, and Planning Policy Statement 1/01.
Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the Location plan, Site Plan, and Photographs date stamped and received 10 November 2020. __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
1.0 THE SITE 1.1 The site is the curtilage of the Railway Station, Victoria Road, Castletown which sits north-west of the Viking Hotel and southeast of Poulsom Park. The building which is the subject of the current application is the Castletown Railway Station building which is a single storey stone building with projecting front gables situated on the south-west end of the site.
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This building has its stone walls finished in grey paint and has decorative features along the eaves of its steeply pitched roof which is finished in grey slate tiles.
1.2 The site lies within Castletown's Conservation Area and the property is Registered (RB 257).
2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Proposed is the erection of a free standing notice board on the front elevation of the Station building. This glazed board will be attached to two Victorian style metal posts (painted green) to be bolted to the existing paving on the left side of the front elevation of the building. No details have been provided as to the exact size of the notice board although the supporting photographic impression indicates that it would be about 1.2m long and 600mm wide.
2.2 The proposed notice board would be installed on the left side of the building, and at a position that would be about 5m parallel to the rail tracks and directly by the loading area. The board would show the inscription "Castletown Station" on the top.
3.0 PLANNING POLICY 3.1 The site lies within an area designated on the Area Plan for the South 2013 as Mixed Use, reflecting the range of uses in the immediate area - railway station, public houses and the garage. The site also lies within Castletown's Conservation Area and, as noted, the application property is Registered.
3.2 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 things as the general characteristics of the area need to be taken into account along with the presence of any features of historic, architectural, cultural or similar interest and 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.
3.3 Due to the designation of the site and the nature of the application it is also appropriate to consider the following polices of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016:
3.4 Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: a) protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings (1), Conservation Areas (2), buildings and structures within National heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest; b) protect or enhance the landscape quality and nature conservation value or urban as well as rural areas but especially in respect to development adjacent to Areas of Special Scientific Interest and other designations; and c) not cause or lead to unacceptable environmental pollution or disturbance.
3.5 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 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; and c) are located so as to not cause a highway safety hazard".
3.6 Environment Policy 37 reads as follows: "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."
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3.7 It is considered that EP37 should carry much greater weight than GP6 though both are valuable to be considered together.
3.8 Environment Policy 35 states "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character of appearance of the area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development".
3.9 Paragraph 7.31.1 of the Strategic Plan 2016. Some advertisements found and proposed in Conservation Areas are inappropriate and do not reflect the special character and designation of the area. The design of advertisements should respect the physical appearance of the premises in order to integrate readily with its surroundings. Traditional details, hanging signs and hand painted signage are most appropriate and will be encouraged.
3.10 Planning Policy Statement 1/01 - Guide to the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man states the following:
3.10.1 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).
3.10.2 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.
3.10.3 Policy CA/6 on Advertisement Control states that: "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
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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.
4.0 PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The application site has been the subject of two previous planning applications which are not considered to be materially relevant to the current application.
5.0 REPRESENTATIONS Copies of representations received can be viewed on the government's website. This report contains summaries only.
5.1 Representation from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Highways Division confirms that they 'Do not oppose' in the letter dated 27 January 2021.
5.2 There has been no written representation made regarding the current planning application by the Castletown Commissioners at the time of writing this report, although they were consulted on 12 January 2021.
5.3 The Principal Registered Buildings Officer confirms that the application is acceptable in his view (09.03.21).
6.0 ASSESSMENT 6.1 Owing to the fact that the application building is a Registered Building and the site is within a Conservation Area, it is important that the works do not have any adverse impacts on either the special character of the Conservation Area or that of the Registered Building. Therefore Environment Policy 37 is most appropriate to use in the assessment of this current planning application. Further any signage within a town or village has to relate to the site therefore General Policy 6 is also relevant to consider.
6.2 Given that the sign is designed to reflect the Victorian era of the train station as well as the registered building, it is considered that the proposed non illuminated sign will have a minimal, if any, impact on the visual amenities of the station given the siting, layout, scale, form, and design of the proposal. Moreover, the materials to be used for the proposed sign and design of the signage would relate well to the posts to which it would be attached, as well as the current use of the site as a railway station. It is also considered that notice board would replace an already existing notice board at this section of the station and would provide necessary information for visitors to the station. As such, it is judged that the installation of the proposed signage is judged to be in keeping with the surrounding area and would therefore not result in a harmful impact on the character of the Conservation Area.
6.3 As well, the siting of the proposed signage is not deemed to pose any safety hazard to visitors to the station. Besides, the proposed notice board is not considered to result in any new visual or amenity impacts on any neighbouring properties beyond that which would generally be expected within such a location.
7.0 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.
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 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 and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status.
Decision Made : Permitted
Date: 09.03.2021
Determining officer
Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett
Principal Planner
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