A HOMEOWNER’S bid to replace his front windows has been rejected – despite him being allowed to replace the rear windows seven years ago.

Stuart Durie had applied for planning permission to replace seven front windows at the house on Gullane’s Hopetoun Terrace using uPVC frames, as well as a front door.

However, East Lothian Council planners ruled that allowing the change would set a precedent which they said over time could impact the character of the entire street.

And the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland objected to the use of the plastic frames.

In a report on the planning application, the society said that the window frames “would neither preserve or enhance the special architectural or historic character of this part of the Gullane Conservation Area”.

'Contrived'

The report revealed that the homeowner had been granted permission to replace the rear windows of the house in 2015 using uPVC but that the house was in a prominent position in the conservation area.

At the time, permission for the rear windows was allowed because they were not readily seen from the road.

However, officers said that the front windows were visible from the terrace and they described proposals to mimic the timber and sash frames with uPVC ‘plant-ons’ as "contrived and unauthentic".

And they said that plans to replace the front wooden door with the use of a composite Glass Reinforced Plastic (GP) would also harm the character of the building.

Refusing planning permission, they said: “If approved, the proposed replacement front windows and entrance door would set an undesirable precedent for the installation of similarly designed uPVC framed windows and composite doors within front elevations of other houses within this part of the streetscape.

“Over time, such change would be collectively out of keeping with, and detrimental to, the character and appearance of this part of the Gullane Conservation Area.”