Friday April 16th 2021
The house in Wedderburn Terrace, Inveresk
Window experts CR Smith have won an appeal against planners who wanted them to remove PVC windows from a house in a conservation area after branding the street itself “unremarkable”.
East Lothian planners refused planning permission for the new windows in the house on Wedderburn Terrace, Inveresk.
Planning officers argued that the modern window frames were harmful to the character of the Inveresk conservation area.
However agents for CR Smith, who were supported by the home owner in the appeal, argued that the locale of the property was “unremarkable”.
In an appeal statement to East Lothian Council’s local review body, they said: “Whilst the Inveresk Conservation Area in its entirety is undoubtedly worthy of its conservation area status, this stretch of Wedderburn Terrace is comparably unremarkable, without any buildings or vistas that would warrant protection in their own right.”
The appeal came after planners refused retrospective permission for the windows and doors of the property to be replaced using PVC.
Agents argued that the new material was not only more energy efficient than the original timber frames but offered more security given “a number of house burglaries in the area”.
They pointed to other properties on the street which had similar window frames, producing a montage of images of other homes in the area to back them up.
And they said of the house itself: “It is a reasonable attempt by a homeowner to improve the energy efficiency and security of his modest and unremarkable home.”
At the local review body meeting, Councillor Norman Hampshire, chairing, agreed that the new windows on the house, which dates back to the 1980s, did not have an impact on the conservation area.
He said: “If it had been a listed building, I would be minded to go with the officers; however, on this building I do not think its impact on the conservation area will be significant.
His view was backed by fellow body members Councillor Jeremy Findlay and Councillor Kenny McLeod, who agreed unanimously to uphold the CR Smith appeal and allow the windows to remain.
You can download the 32 page appeal documentat HERE.
The same householder lost an appeal back in January concerning the height of his fence, East Lothian fence privacy row
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