Officer Report

PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Application No.: 25/00957/D Applicant: Ms Linda Allison Shepherd Proposal: Replacement of signage (retrospective) Site Address: 17A Douglas Street Peel Isle Of Man IM5 1BA Planning Officer: Russell Williams Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 27.01.2026 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions

C 1. The sign hereby granted consent shall not be lit by any source of illumination.

Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The application is considered to accord with The Control of Advertisements Regulations 2013, as well as meeting with the principles of General Policies 6, 7 and 8 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 and within bounds of acceptability so as to not result in any significant or wider visual harm and the overall character of the street and the wider character and appearance of the Conservation Area is to be preserved in line with Environment Policies 35, 37 and 38.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the following plans and drawings, date stamped 20 October 2025: Location Plan Site Plan Previous signage photograph New signage photograph Signage dimension photograph

_________________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status No Right to Appeal identified

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The application site is an existing retail unit situated within 17a Douglas Street, Peel. The business occupies the ground floor unit of the 3 storey terrace property which sits on the northern side of the street. - 1.2 The front elevation on the property faces directly over the main street and towards the public car park opposite. - 1.3 The existing unit previously had a similar sign with black acrylic lettering on a white plywood fascia painted white.

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application seeks retrospective advertisement consent for the display of new signage to the shop front. - 2.2 The displayed signage has black acrylic lettering that are 364mm tall. The signage is

• 3.5m in width and is set 3.4m above the pavement. Letter is installed on 2.5cm locators which allow the letters to stand proud of the wall.

2.3 The advertisement was installed on 10 September 2025 without consent.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 The application site is in an area zoned as "Mixed Use" under the Peel Local Plan 1989. The site is within the Peel Conservation Area but there are no other designations in proximity to the site. - 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 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;

3.4 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'.

3.5 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'. - 3.6 Environment Policy 35: "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." - 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: "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."

- 4.0 OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 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. - 4.2 A material consideration would also be Policy CA/2 Special Planning Considerations from Planning Policy Statement 1/01 (Conservation of the Historic Environment).

- 5.0 PLANNING HISTORY

5.1 17/00316/B - Replacement of existing timber shop windows and door with upvc Site Address : 17A Douglas Street - Permitted - 6.0 REPRESENTATIONS

6.1 The following Statutory Consultees have been consulted and their responses can be summarised as follows:

Peel Commissioners - No comment received. DOI Highway Services - No comment received. Registered Building Officer - No comment received.

6.2 No representations have been received from members of the public. - 7.0 ASSESSMENT

7.1 The key considerations in the determination of the application are the impact of the replacement advertisement upon the character and appearance of the building and Conservation Area. 7.2 The site is within a Conservation Area where there is a need to ensure the character and appearance is preserved or enhanced. The site sits central to the main shopping centre of Peel where there is already an established level of signage in the shopping area.

7.3 The previous sign to the shop front is said to have rotted out and was in need of replacement. Whilst there is no evidence of this being the case, if so, the signage will have been detracting from the appearance of the area. The general appearance of the new signage is very similar to the previous and is not considered to detract from the character or appearance of the building as a result. - 7.4 None of the signage is to be illuminated and so no assessment is required in this respect. A condition can be added for the avoidance of doubt and any future illumination subject to a separate application.

8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The proposal is not expected to result in any amenity harm to the existing building, to public safety or to overall outlook from neighbouring properties.

8.2 The application is considered to accord with The Control of Advertisements Regulations 2013, as well as meeting with the principles of General Policies 6, 7 and 8 of the IOM Strategic Plan 2016 and within bounds of acceptability so as to not result in any significant or wider visual harm and the overall character of the street and the wider character and appearance of the Conservation Area is to be preserved in line with Environment Policies 35, 37 and 38. - 9.0 Party Status (Advertisements)

9.1 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;
• (f) The Ports Division of the Department;
• (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.

9.2 In addition to those above, the Regulation 11(3) requires the Department to decide which persons (if any) who have made representations with respect to the application, should be treated as having sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings relating to the application.

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: 27.01.2026 Determining Officer

Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner

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