In a conservation area the council's interest is in the appearance of the street, not the inside of your house. For windows that means three things get scrutinised: the material, the opening style and the sightline. Replace like for like on all three and you are usually in straightforward territory.
Sash for sash is the clearest example. A Victorian frontage with vertical sliders should be replaced with vertical sliders, with the original glazing-bar layout and the meeting rail in the same place. Swapping to a top-hung casement changes the rhythm of the elevation and is the single most common refusal.
Listed buildings are a different matter: any alteration needs listed building consent regardless of how sympathetic it is, and timber is often the only acceptable material. We will tell you plainly when a project needs a conservation officer's involvement before it needs a quotation.
Everywhere else, replacement glazing is covered by building regulations rather than planning permission, and we self-certify through FENSA.
