BAA has been asked to remove plastic windows it installed on a listed thatched cottage at Stansted.
Uttlesford District Council was alerted to the plastic windows on the building, which is believed to date from the 17th century or earlier, by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).
Barbara Bosworth, the council’s conservation officer confirmed that BAA had agreed to remove the plastic windows, which had been installed without listed building consent.
“The council will have a view on what sort of windows should be installed,” she said. “They will definitely be painted timber windows with slender glazing bars.
She said BAA would need to submit a listed building planning application for the work and that the council would be monitoring the case closely.
Douglas Kent, SPAB technical secretary, told TTJ that the cottage was one of a number of listed buildings owned by BAA around Stansted Airport. He said SPAB had ben monitoring the buildings because it was concerned they were in a state of neglect.
“The previous windows had been taken out and replaced with plastic windows, standard ones which might be suitable in a modern house,” he said.
Mr Kent said the problem of inappropriate plastic window installation was becoming worse since moves to tighten the energy efficiency of buildings.
“It’s galling to see this blight taking place in historic towns and villages across the country, particularly in Victorian buildings and others of architectural merit that are not listed.”
