Considerations When Replacing Windows in a Conservation Area

If you live in a conservation area, you will need to be careful about any changes you want to make to your property. This includes when you are replacing your windows. In particular, you will need to know what you are permitted to do under local planning regulations.

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Article 4 Conservation Area
In many conservation areas, new windows come under the heading of “permitted development”. This means they are considered unlikely to have a major impact on the overall character of the building and can therefore be installed without planning permission.

Article 4 Conservation Areas are different. These are the buildings or areas whose preservation has designated by local councils as being of particular importance. In Article 4 Conservation Areas, councils can restrict what would normally be considered permitted development rights. Planning permission can be required in Article 4 Conservation areas even for something as simple as new windows.

The most important consideration, whether your conservation area is protected under Article 4 or not, is whether your windows are in keeping with the rest of the building. For instance, you may need wood or wood-effect windows rather than PVC. Many modern suppliers, such as https://www.keanewindows.ie/windows-dublin/, of windows Dublin can ensure you have modern, energy-efficient windows that are still suitable for a conservation area.

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Listed Buildings
Another factor to consider when replacing windows in a conservation area is whether the property is a listed building. Listed status is given when a building itself is of particular historic or architectural interest. Any building that predates 1700 CE is listed, as are most buildings from the following century. In general, the older a building is, the higher the likelihood it is listed. If it is less than 30 years old, it is unlikely to be listed.

Once a building has been listed, the rules around its future development are much stricter even than for an Article 4 Conservation Area. You will need to seek special planning permission for any change to the building’s external appearance, including windows and doors. This does not mean you cannot develop the property – just that any development must fall within the guidelines. Many new windows will have to be installed not just so they are in keeping with the building but as exact replicas of the previous windows.