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| Application No.: | 13/00946/D |
| Applicant: | Coffee Exchange Ltd |
| Proposal: | Erection of advertising signage and retention of advertising decals to front elevation windows (part retrospective). |
| Site Address: | 52 Athol Street Douglas Isle Of Man IM1 1JB |
1.1 The application site is the curtilage of 52 Athol Street, Douglas, which at ground floor level is occupied by the Coffee Exchange cafe. The frontage of several business units has been recently covered with a dark grey metal above the ground floor and matched in the window and door frames. 52 Athol Street has three large window panes fronting the street, adjacent to the front door.
1.2 Athol Street is characterised by tall buildings primarily occupied by various advocacy and banking services. It was evident from the site visit that a limited variety of signage was evident, with the majority of businesses having individual lettering on projecting pegs. Some coloured fascias are also present.
2.1 Advertisement consent is sought for the installation of mounted lettering showing the business name ("Coffee Exchange"). Retrospective advertisement consent is also sought for the application of a decal logo and decal lettering on the internal windows fronting Athol Street.
2.2 The retrospective element of the proposal comprises lettering advertising various food stuffs and the opening times on the left and right hand window panes, while the company logo is located in the middle pane. The lettering is of the same font as the proposed business name lettering, although of a much smaller size. A photograph of the in-situ decals has been provided as part of the planning application.
2.3 The proposed fascia lettering is also shown on the photograph, to which it has evidently been added for means of assessment as part of the planning application. Another such photograph was supplied, showing the lettering of a very different size; neither photos have a scale, although the application form is clear that the lettering would be 15.5 inches in height. A notation on a submitted photograph indicates that the fascia lettering would be "3mm thick mirror finish acrylic (di-bond) fixed on pegs".
| Case Officer: | Mr Edmond Riley |
| Photo Taken: | |
| Site Visit: | |
| Expected Decision Level: | Officer Delegation |
3.1 None of the planning history on the site is considered to be of material relevance to the determination of this planning application.
4.1 The application site is within an area zoned as "Predominantly Offices" on the Douglas Local Plan Order 1998 (Map No. 1). No Written Statement accompanies the Douglas Local Plan Order. 4.2 Given the nature of the application, it is appropriate to consider General Policy 6 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, which reads in full: "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'.
5.1 The Department of Infrastructure's Highways Division has no objection to the planning application. 5.2 Douglas Borough Council has no objection to the planning application.
6.1 As the application seeks consent for the erection of signage, the main issue to consider is the impact the new signage would have in terms of the streetscene and highways safety. The non-retrospective element of the proposal is considered first. 6.2 The proposed siting shows the signage as being located above the business unit, and would not project in any significant fashion given that the lettering would be individually fixed to the building on standalone pegs. The mirror finish and individual lettering would match the more successful signage designs on Athol Street, and would not have any significant effect on highway safety owing to its location above the unit frontage. 6.3 The success of individual lettering on buildings tends to relate as much to the font and minimal visual impact as opposed to the more dramatic impact common with brightlycoloured fascias. As such, the initial proposal for 15.5 inch-high lettering was considered to be overly large and a reduction was sought from the applicants. It was negotiated that 13.5 inch-high lettering would be more appropriate, and if a consent were to be forthcoming then a condition requiring the lettering to be no more than 13.5 inches in height is recommended to be attached. 6.4 During the site visit, it became evident that the decals already in place on the frontage would require retrospective advertising consent, and the application description was amended to reflect this. Douglas Borough Council reiterated their lack of objection to the proposal following the amended description; no further Representations were received following this change. 6.5 The decal lettering is of a grey colour and a font to match the proposed signage lettering discussed above; the logo is the same colour. The decal lettering is roughly three
inches in height, and although it is out of keeping with the streetscene, and quite dominant over the existing glass frontage, it is not considered to be very inappropriate in the wider streetscene context. The Coffee Exchange is a cafe operating in an area that is primarily occupied by office- and banking-related businesses such that its existence does require promotion, especially given the dark-tinted fenestration of the unit in which it sits. While this should not be a reason to grant consent to inappropriately-designed advertising, it is not considered that the proposal is inappropriate in its location given the lack of conflict with General Policy 6 of the Strategic Plan. 6.6 For the above reasons the application is considered to be acceptable and is recommended that a consent be issued, subject to Conditions.
7.1 The Highways Division is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, paragraph 6 (4) (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status. 7.2 The local authority, Douglas Borough Council, is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013, paragraph 6 (4) (e), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.
Recommended Decision: Permitted
Date of 11.11.2013
Recommendation:
N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal
C 1. The approval hereby made shall not be carried out, except in accordance with the two site plans and three photographs submitted as part of the planning application, date-stamped 8th August 2013.
C 2. Notwithstanding Condition 1, above, the fascia lettering hereby approved shall not exceed 13.5 inches in height.
I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Director of Planning and Building Control / Development Control Manager/ Senior Planning Officer.
Decision Made : Permitted Date : Determining officer (delete as appropriate) Signed : Anthony Holmes Senior Planning Officer Signed : Michael Gallagher Director of Planning and Building Control
Signed : Sarah Corlett Senior Planning Officer Signed : Jennifer Chance Development Control Manager
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