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Mr. A. Johnstone, Planning Appeals Administrator, Crown Division, Chief Secretary's Office, Government Offices, Douglas, IM1 3PG. Mr. A. Johnstone, Planning Appeals Administrator, Crown Division, Chief Secretary's Office, Government Offices, Douglas, IM1 3PG.
Murray House, Mount Havelock, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2SF. email: [email protected] Tel: (01624) 685901 Fax: (01624) 686443 Director of Planning \& Building Control M.I. McCauley, M.R.T.P.I.
Date: 24th January 2011 Your Reference: DF10/0039
Dear Mr. Johnstone,
Please find a statement that set out the position of the Planning Authority in respect of the above planning application.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely,
Ian Brooks BA(Hons) DipTP MRTPI Planning Officer
The aim of this statement is to provide background information to the planning application and to set out the views of the Planning Division in respect of the proposed advertisements.
The site comprises the commercial properties of 27-31 Castle Street and the public highway of Castle Street within Douglas. The site is zoned as an area of Predominantly Shopping Use within in the Douglas Local Plan 1998. The site is not within a Conservation Area and does not include any Registered Buildings.
The application is seeking express consent for the display of two 'A' frame advertising boards on the public highway outside of 27-31 Castle Street. The 'A' frame boards will be 61 cm in width and 108 cm in height. The boards will be constructed out of wood with a black gloss finish with a central vinyl panel.
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 and General 6.
General Policy 6 states that "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 not to cause a highway safety hazard.
There have been a number of previous applications for the site; however, none are considered relevant in the consideration of this application
The Department of Infrastructure Highways Division do not oppose as it has no adverse traffic management, parking or road safety implications.
Douglas Corporation have not objected to the application
The main considerations in assessing this application are 1) the effect of the advertisements on the visual appearance of the area; and 2) the effect on public safety.
In respect of the visual appearance of the area, the proposed advertisements are vinyl printed advertisement on wooden boards; however, it should be noted that one
of the 'A' frame boards is currently a blackboard which it is assumed to be turned into vinyl printed advertisement. The choice of materials is certainly not of a high design standard. The placement of the 'A' frame boards outside of the shop unit will add additional clutter to the streetscene. The display of advertisements on a permanent nature would impact on the visual amenities of the locality.
In respect of public safety, the 'A' boards are to be placed on a wide stretch of Castle Street, which is a pedestrianised area. The signs will reduce the pavement width to 6.4m and 7m. This reduction still provides sufficient clearance for two persons to pass at the same time. However, the placement of 'A' boards on the highway would still create an obstruction for pedestrians, in particular for the blind and partially sighted persons, when walking close to the shop front. It is considered the display of the 'A' frame advertising boards would be prejudicial to pedestrian safety.
In conclusion, the display of the advertisements would be contrary to General Policy 2 and General Policy 6 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 by reason of their siting and design would result in:
1) the introduction of additional clutter into the street scene, which will be detrimental to the visual amenities of the locality; and 2) establishing an obstruction within the public highway for pedestrians, in particular for the blind and partially sighted persons, and would be prejudicial to pedestrian safety.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that express consent to display the advertisements be refused for the above reasons.
However, if the Independent Inspector is minded to recommend to the Council of Ministers that the application be approved, the Planning Authority suggests the following conditions.
Schedule of Conditions
This statement has been prepared by Mr Ian Brooks BA(Hons) DipTP MRTPI, Planning Officer on behalf of the Planning and Building Control Division of the Department of Infrastructure.
Date: 24/01/2011
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