A councillor has been told he must replace the uPVC windows in his £800,000 home with wooden frames – by his own planning committee.
Cllr Phil Eckersley, of Trafford Council in Greater Manchester, tried to persuade his colleagues on the borough’s planning and development management committee to go against officers’ recommendations to refuse his retrospective planning application for the renovations to his Victorian home.
He must now replace the 'wood grain effect’ uPVC window frames as they do not fall under permitted development rights.
What was the councillor seeking to get permission for?
According to planning meeting notes Cllr Eckersley, who bought the property in summer 2023, argued that the property was becoming derelict and he planned on renovating the house.
He said: “We consulted a Trafford-approved architect and a conservation area specialist window company with 45 years of experience to ensure that we were making the right decisions on the renovations of the property.
“When consulting with window specialists, they confirmed that the windows at the front of the property were not original and that the existing windows were beyond repair due to the amount of rot."
Why did the councillor replace the windows without gaining permission?
Cllr Eckersley decided to replace the windows without gaining planning permission as he believed they fell under permitted development rights.
He continued: “Taking this advice, we replaced the existing windows under permitted development to match the original property windows as closely as possible.”
The local politician said they matched the sash design as other properties on the same road, which use a mixture of timber and uPVC.
"We have gone to great lengths to maintain and enhance the historic elements of the property," he added.
“We bought this house to start a family and live a family life and transform a house in Trafford from being uninhabitable to being a council tax paying family home.”
Why was the application refused?
The home is in the Bowdon Conservation Area and planners said the windows are contrary to policies in the conservation area management plan.
Head of planning and development, Rebecca Coley, told the committee: “Officers consider the replacement of all timber windows with uPVC to require planning permission as they are not similar in appearance to the previous windows.
“The use of uPVC fails to maintain the character of the dwelling in the conservation area and is contrary to policies in the conservation area management plan.”
She added that the new windows impacted the architectural significance of the house.
Another councillor, Balil Babar, said he disagreed with the recommendation to refuse the application.
He said: “Yes, it is in the Bowdon Conservation area. The house is a non-designated heritage asset. The layout and frontage has not been changed.
“What we’ve heard is he’s going to give it a new life and it’s going to be a family home so, on balance, I would go against the officers’ recommendation."
However, this argument was rejected by the committee who ultimately refused the application and ordered the councillor to return the windows using their original wooden materials.
