DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 21/01455/D Applicant: Mr Ben Quayle Proposal: Installation of illuminated signage Site Address: Peveril Building Peveril Square Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 2BS Planning Officer: Mr Peiran Shen Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 11.02.2022 _________________________________________________________________

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. This application is considered to comply with General Policy 2, General Policy 6, Environment Policy 36 and Environment Policy 38 of the Strategic Plan. Plans/Drawings/Information;

This approval relates to the documents, planning statement and drawing no. 2009-PL-001, 2009-PL-002, 2009-PL-130, 2009-PL-131, 2009-PL-132, 2009-PL-133, 2009-PL-140, 2009-PL141, 2009-PL-142, 2009-PL-143 as having been received on 1st December 2021.

_______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site represents the curtilage of Peveril Buildings, Peveril Square, Douglas. The property is a four-storey building that sits opposite the Sea Terminal building and turns onto both Loch Promenade and Bath Place at each end of the building. The building is used for the provision of financial services.

1.2 The property sits within a conservation area of Douglas Promenade and is mentioned in the Conservation Area appraisal document where it refers to Peveril Building; "The Peveril Hotel, a strikingly symmetrical composition in the late-Georgian style, in due course also gave way to a new office block, which regrettably is not of comparable quality with its predecessor" (page 14).

2.0 The PROPOSAL - 2.1 The proposed is the installation of illuminated signage and external lighting. - 2.2 There will be two signage with the writing "SUNTER GLOBAL", one above the front entrance canopy and one on the south corner of the third-storey of the east elevation. The one on the corner will also have a logo (a circle divided by three lines) along with the words. - 2.3 The signage above the canopy will have aluminium letters and LED lighting strips at the bottom. The logo and word signage will have white and orange illumination with halo effects. - 2.4 The lights are distributed around the columns, the ones on the ground floor will be installed on the same level as the top of the louvres and projects down. The others will be installed on the base of the columns on the first and second floor and project up. There will also be two lights in the canopy above the front elevation and projects down.

3.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 3.1 Replacement of existing facade, render, and windows was APPROVED under PA 20/01223/B. The current application is based on the completion of this 2020 approval.

4.0 PLANNING POLICY Site Specific - 4.1 The site is within an area designated as Mixed Use (The Fort) in the Area Plan for the East. - 4.2 The written statement of the Plan states that within the area, "Any development must be of the highest design quality and improvements to the public realm." - 4.3 The site is also within the Douglas Promenade Conservation Area. Strategic Policy - 4.4 In terms of strategic policy, the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this current planning application: Principles of Developments - 4.5 General Policy 1 states: "The determination of matters under Part 2 (Development Control) and Part 3 (Special Controls) of the 1999 Town and Country Planning Act shall have regard to the provisions of the Development Plan and all other material considerations." - 4.6 Strategic Policy 1 states that development should make the best use of resources, including sites themselves as well as existing and planned infrastructures. This is seconded by Infrastructure Policy 1 by stressing that all development, unless of too small a scale, shall only take place in areas that will ultimately be connected to the IRIS systems. - 4.7 Strategic Policy 2 and Spatial Policy 3 echoes each other, stating that new development should be located primarily within existing defined settlements or sustainable urban extensions. - 4.8 General Policy 2, which provides an overall requirement for all development, states:

"Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development: (b) respects the site and surroundings in terms of the siting, layout, scale, form, design and landscaping of buildings and the spaces around them; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality; (i) does not have an unacceptable effect on road safety or traffic flows on the local highways;

• (m) takes account of community and personal safety and security in the design of buildings and the spaces around them; and
• (n) is designed having due regard to best practice in reducing energy consumption."

Visual Design

4.9 General Policy 6 states: "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
• (c) are located so as not to cause a highway safety hazard."

4.10 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." - 4.11 Environment Policy 35 states: "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." - 4.12 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.

Safety and Security

4.13 Community Policy 7 states that the design of new development must, as far as is reasonable and practicable, pay due regards to existing best practises such as to prevent criminal and anti-social behaviour. PPS and NPD - 4.14 There is no relevant Planning Policy Statement or National Policy Directive applicable to this application.

5.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS Legislation - 5.1 Section 18(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act (1999) states, "(4) Where any area is for the time being a conservation area, special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its character or appearance in the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in the area, of any powers under this Act".

5.2 Regulation 5 of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisement) Regulations 2013 states that the control of advertisement is only in the interest of amenity and public safety, in particular general characteristics of the locality, the safety of any person who may use the highway and potential obscuration of any traffic sign or signals. Strategy and Guidance - 5.3 There is no additional relevant strategy or guidance that directly applies to this application. Other Material Considerations - 5.4 There is no additional material consideration considered relevant to this application.

6.0 REPRESENTATION - 6.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection to this application (15.12.2021). - 6.2 DoI Highway Services states it does not oppose this application (16.12.2021). The comment states that there is "no significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking".

7.0 ASSESSMENT Conservation Areas Statutory Test - 7.1 Before assessing elements of the proposal, as it is within a Conservation Area, a test should be applied to this proposal as mentioned in 5.1. This is whether the proposal would preserve or protect the character of the Conservation Area. - 7.2 The proposed signage and lighting would not stand out from its elevations. The proposed lighting is similar to that of the adjacent buildings. Therefore, the proposal is considered to enhance the character of the Conservation Area and passes the test. Elements of Assessment - 7.3 The key considerations in the determination of the application are its impact on the property itself and on the character and appearance of the Area. Design of the Property Itself - 7.4 As mentioned in 7.2, it is considered that the proposal would maintain the appearance of the building. Character and Appearance - 7.5 As mentioned in 7.2, the signage has a neutral impact on the character and appearance of the area and the lighting would enhance the character and appearance of the area. Therefore, the design is considered acceptable. - 7.6 It is not considered necessary to attach a condition regarding the level of illumination of the signs as such conditions have not been attached to previously illuminated signage on this building nor any other signage erected on the Island and the illumination is not expected to result in excessive levels of lighting.

8.0 CONCLUSION - 8.1 The proposal is considered to comply with General Policy 2, General Policy 6, Environment Policy 36 and Environment Policy 38 of the Strategic Plan. Therefore, it is recommended for an approval.

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:

• 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 which 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: 25.02.2022 Determining officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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