Officer Report

Application No.: 25/00933/D Applicant: Mr Justin Kneller Proposal: Installation of permanent illuminated signage to southwest elevation Site Address: B&Q Spring Valley Industrial Estate Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 2QT Principal Planner: Chris Balmer Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 25.11.2025 _________________________________________________________________

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 and its proposal is considered to of a high standard of design, in keeping with the surrounding area and not to cause a highway safety hazard. They relate to the building on which they are to be displayed and do not detriment or affect public safety.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This approval relates to the submitted documents and drawing all received on 24.10.2025. _________________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status None _________________________________________________________________ Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site comprises the curtilage of B&Q home improvement store, which is located in Spring Valley Industrial Estate. The existing site has a large industrial building situated on the North West corner of the site while the remaining plot is utilised as delivery section, situated north-east and customer parking area, situated south of the main building.

• The entire southern boundary of the site is sufficiently screened with trees and shrubs which limit views to the site which is on an elevated platform when compared to the Cooil Road.
• 1.2 The site has a number of existing areas of signage both on the existing buildings and within the bounds of the site. Also, there are a number of non-illuminated signs set within the customer parking area on the site.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 Advertisement consent is sought for the Installation of permanent illuminated signage to southwest elevation. The proposed sign is a "…new flexbox with digitally printed internally illuminated digi printed skin, yellow only to illuminate. 5,000 x 2,000." The sign would be to the front elevation of the store stating "Trade Point".

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The proposal site is in an area zoned as Industrial Use under the Area Plan for the East

1. The site is not within a Conservation Area.

3.2 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: - 3.3 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'.

3.4 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'. - 3.5 It is also vital to consider the Control of Advertisements Regulations 2013 which makes 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.

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 There have been a number of previous applications for the site which involved the installation of signage, the most recent of which being the Provision of advertisement sign (PA 20/00001/D). The four other applications for the installation of signage (PA 96/00939/D, PA 91/01282/D, PA 96/00126/D, and PA 96/00197/D) for the site were approved.

5.0 REPRESENTATIONS - 5.1 None

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The signage proposed would be associated with the application site and would reflect its use and occupants and therefore the proposal is acceptable in principle. - 6.2 The size and type of the signage proposed, whilst large, would not be unusual features for an industrial unit such as this one. From the perspective of Cooil Road, the signage would not be readily visible due to the existing building between, the site topography as above that of

• the road, and the trees at the side of the road and on the southern boundary of the site. The signage would not increase the visual impact of what is a typical industrial unit in an industrial zone. In this respect the proposal complies with GP6 (a&b).
• 6.3 As noted, the signage would not be readily visible from Cooil Road, although there would be partial views from the road serving Spring Valley Industrial Estate which is purely for industrial purposes, and is considered unlikely to pose a highway safety risk. In this respect the proposal complies with GP6 (c).

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 The application and its proposal is considered to of a high standard of design, in keeping with the surrounding area and not to cause a highway safety hazard. They relate to the building on which they are to be displayed and do not detriment or affect public safety.

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 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 and/or rights to appeal.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 27.11.2025 Determining Officer Signed : J SINGLETON Jason Singleton Principal Planner

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