A cottage owner in Alston has been mired in a planning battle with the authorities over what he calls an “irrational” decision on double glazed windows.
In July, Eden District Council refused planning permission for UPVC windows to be installed at Church View Cottage, The Butts, in the town’s Conservation Area.
Alastair Robertson, of Nenthead Road, said the old single-glazed softwood Georgian windows were “rotting and very high maintenance”.
Alston Moor Parish Council, of which he is a member, twice supported the application as a consultee, along with a petition of nearly 20 members of the public.
But now in the latest twist a planning inspector has dismissed his appeal and upheld Eden Council’s original decision to refuse.
Mr Robertson said there had been inconsistencies, irrationalities and contradictions throughout.
He has urged the authorities not to continue taking a finger in the dyke approach to UPVC windows in the weather-beaten North Pennines town, calling them: “Effective, practical, attractive and here to stay.”
Mr Robertson has looked back through Eden District Council planning decisions over several years and in the last three years, he found that 14 applications have been made for UPVC windows within the town’s Conservation Area. A dozen applications had been approved.
He has also cited examples of other UPVC windows found in the town’s Conservation Area and questioned the so-called heritage significance of The Butts, where he said a “mish-mash” of window styles are found.
Furthermore, only the two first floor windows of his property can be seen in summer as they are obscured by foliage for the rest of the year — making a mockery of the idea they have any impact, he argued.
But the planning inspector, called in to rule on the matter, has described Church View Cottage as having significant local value and said UPVC windows cause harm to the special character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
The inspector said the cottage was among Grade II listed buildings such as St Augustine’s Church, and was seen as a local heritage asset, although the cottage itself does not have any special protective designation, he conceded.
“The design would jar with the traditional form and materials found currently,” the inspector said.
“Over time UPVC windows tend to fade and deteriorate, which would have a negative effect on the character and appearance of the building,” he added.
Another factor was that Alston Conservation Area remains in a poor condition, resulting in a place on Historic England’s At Risk Register, which records those historic areas of the country at risk of loss through neglect, decay or development.
Mr Robertson said such decisions caused despair for residents.
The local feeling was that homeowners on the Moor should have a choice between timber or UPVC, he said.
