DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 19/00368/D Applicant: Black Grace Cowley Proposal: Installation of non-illuminated signage Site Address: Victory House Ground Floor Prospect Hill Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EQ Planning and Enforcement Assistant: Miss Vanessa Wilson Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 30.05.2019 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

C 1. The signage hereby approved is required to be removed from the site before the expiration of TWO years from the date of this decision notice or if and when the building is sold or let, whichever is the sooner.

Reason: The development has only been found to be acceptable on a short term basis because it meets a specific need.

Plans/Drawings/Information:

This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped received on 28 March 2019:

• o 1903-VH-101
• o 1903-VH-200-A _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status – Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report THE SITE

1.1 The application site is Victory House, Prospect Hill, Douglas. The site is a large multistorey modernist office building. The front of the building follows the curvature of the road, which is one of the key roads through Douglas town centre, fronting onto the highway and footpath. - 1.2 Currently, the front elevation features a 9m x 1.2m in height illuminated sign between the ground and first floor windows to the west elevation. THE PROPOSAL

2.1 The application seeks approval for the installation of sixteen vinyl advertisements to sixteen windows at the ground floor level on a temporary basis of two years. Twelve of the vinyl's are generic "shopping" photos and four of the vinyl's are advertising the ground floor space. PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The application site is designated as Predominately Offices on the Douglas Local Plan 1998. The site is outside of the conservation area but bounds both the Athol Street and Victoria Street Conservation Areas to the front elevation.

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 appropriate to consider the following polices of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016: - 3.4 General Policy 2 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;
• (c) does not affect adversely the character of the surrounding landscape or townscape; (g) does not affect adversely the amenity of local residents or the character of the locality;

3.5 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'.

3.6 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'. - 3.7 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'.

3.8 Environment Policy 38 states: 'Advertisements close to Conservation Areas must respect and preserve the character and appearance of the area to ensure that views into and out of such areas are protected'.

PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 There are several applications on the site for advertisements of which the most recent is 18/01249/D which was for "Installation of illuminated signage" and was Permitted. REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 Highway Services have No Highways Interest in this application (16.04.2019).

5.2 No comments have been received from Douglas Corporation at the time of writing this report. ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The main issue to to be considered in the assessment of this application is the impact of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the individual property and the streetscene.

• 6.2. In respect of the proposed impact of the signage on the building and surrounding area, the signage takes up around a significant area on the overall ground floor windows, of which four of the vinyls are used to advertise the proposed office space.

6.3 The applicant has stated in the application form that the approval is temporary for two years which suggest that the vinyls are only up until the proposed office space is let out. It can be deemed that once the space is let out that the vinyls will no longer be in place and either new ones in connection will be put up or they will be taken down. - 6.4 Victory house is currently being used as office space and is close to the local town centre of Douglas with Athol Street being a main thoroughfare for the offices at the top of Athol Street to get to the main town centre. With this in mind the vinyls are acceptable form of advertising and they will not have an undue impact on the current building. - 6.5 The signage is not considered to harm public or private amenity and has no impact on highway safety. The signage is considered to be appropriate to the building and could be removed without damage to the building.

CONCLUSION

• 7.1. The proposal would not unacceptably harm the characteristics of the existing building or the character of its surroundings and it would preserve the character of the nearby Conservation Area. The proposed development would not result in a significant adverse impact upon safety of highway users. The proposal therefore complies with the aforementioned policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016.

INTERESTED PERSON STATUS By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 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) Persons to whom notice has been given under regulation 10(3)(a)(i)
• (d) Any Government Department that has made written submissions relating to planning considerations with respect to the application that the Department considers material;
• (e) The Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;

• (f) The Ports Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (g) The operator of the railway or tramway; and
• (h) The local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated. _____________________________________________________________________

I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date : 31.05.2019 Determining officer

Signed : S BUTLER Stephen Butler Head of Development Management

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