Replace stained glass window

House has a 9ft by 5ft stained glass window in the stairwell. Its over sized / out of proportion.

Its not original to the house (you can see theyve had to shoehorn it into the eaves) and its not great. It has been there for a long time.

I'd like to remove it, get the hole reduced and put a double glazed window in that looks the correct size / in keeping with the rest of the house.

Do I need planning permission?

The planning portal says not, if:

"insertion of new windows and doors that are of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the house ...
If new windows are in an upper-floor side elevation they must be obscure-glazed and either non opening or more than 1.7 metres above the floor level"

I don't think I do:

The rest of the house has wooden casement windows. The stained glass window is not original. If I replace it with a wooden window in the style of the other windows (and make it obscure glazed etc).

Is my interpretation correct?

 

I am considering a pre planning permission application to ask if I'll need permission. Its cheap and a 3 week turnaround.

I dont see how they can say no. It looks awful, and only visible to one neighbour's house (if they look out their hallway window), and not original to the house.

Although lets say I dont, and do the work (get a fensa cert / it follows regs/ same style as other windows), and someone complains. Realistically, would they really insist I undo the new window, and crowbar a 9 by 5 foot stained glass window back?

Or would it just be a paperwork headache , retrospective planning application etc

I'd rather not get them involved tbh

Thank you

 

On the assumption your PD rights remain intact and there are no other Planning conditions or restrictions preventing you from doing so, then the replacement should not require formal PP. If this window is on an upper floor and located on a side elevation, it’d need to meet the PD requirements as you copied and stated above. If you wish to deviate from those requirements, then its replacement would require formal PP.

If you’re doing the works yourself, you’ll require BR consent. If the works are being carried out by a FENSA registered person/company then they can self certify.

 

FENSA won't cover alterations to the opening size even if it does not involve a structural alteration.

 

Hmmmn.

I guess then the question is: is reducing a window size covered under PD? Will we need BR approval?

For what its worth, it will be reducing it to a size / proportion in line with the rest of the house (the stained glass goes into the eaves ffs)...

 

It will need B Regs but can't be done under FENSA self cert scheme, so you will have to use LA or private B Control. Planning won't be required.

 

Why can’t the OP or a general builder remove the existing window, reduce the size of the opening with infill materials to match and then have FENSA in for the window replacement?

 

Unless it has changed in the last 3 years FENSA will not cover work involving the alteration of the opening. I had this on a property where I was inspecting one window due to a non structural change in the opening while the other 10 were controlled by FENSA, I was ready to repay the B reg fees. They also will not cover situations where escape windows are removed and replaced with non escape windows even when the internal means of escape are upgraded to create a protected stairway.

 

What particular part of these works would need BR’s? A builder could carry out the infill work and then have a FENSA person/company instructed to fit the new window in this now reduced opening. Why would BR’s be required for non-structural work?

 

Any window replacement requires B Regs, this can be done either by a contractor self certifying under a competent persons scheme (FENSA) or by applying for B Regs with the a private or LA inspector, however FENSA will not cover an alteration to the opening whether structural or non structural, essentially all they will cover are windows in an existing unaltered opening.
So in this particular situation the work requires B regs as it is the installation of a controlled fitting (ie the window), but due to the alteration of the brickwork cannot be self certified.
Just to confuse the issue they previously did certify windows involving non structural brick alterations.
As I said I had the ridiculous situation of inspecting one window by a FENSA approved contractor while the remaining windows were self certified by the same contractor.

They're not nor did I suggest that.

 

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