Published: Wednesday 16 November 2022
Adding additional glazing to your windows in Kensington and Chelsea could become easier as the Council consults on how to help listed homes become warmer and more energy efficient.
Currently, any extra glazing on single glazed windows in listed buildings needs to be approved with listed building consent by the Council’s planning officers.
Now the Council has written an order which explains what they would allow homeowners to do without the special consent, helping people to green their homes whilst protecting the character of the London neighbourhoods.
The measures are designed to support people to have warmer, more energy efficient homes that produce fewer carbon emissions as the borough aims to be carbon neutral by 2040. Buildings accounting for 80% of the borough’s carbon emissions and there are 4,000 listed buildings in Kensington and Chelsea.
Residents in homes that are not listed can often get double glazing without permission from the Council.
In March this year, the Council removed the need for individual listed building consent for solar panels. The measures are designed to encourage and support greener measures.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, lead member for planning, place and environment said:
“We have set a target to be carbon neutral by 2040. It’s ambitious and it will need a whole community effort which is why we want to remove barriers to people choosing greener measures for their homes.
“We can protect our buildings whilst moving with the times. Listed buildings of 200 years old or more have new rooves in their lifetimes, so there’s no reason why we can’t see upgrades for greener measures in the same way. Getting new windows or installing renewable energy should be easier if it’s part of the ongoing maintenance of someone’s home and reduces carbon emissions.”
The draft order sets out three types of work that would be allowed including:
- internal secondary glazing to windows;
- replacement of existing windows with double glazed windows in extensions to listed buildings constructed after the date of listing;
- replacement of existing windows or replacing single glazed panes where the window was installed in a listed building after the date of listing.
The planning consultation on the Local Listed Building Consent Order is open until 9 January 2023.
The Council will be consulting heritage and conservation groups as well as resident associations.