- Decision
- dismissed, 14 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: N Unwin
- Authority
- Warrington (North West)
- Appeal reference
- 6005067
- Application reference
- 2024/01202/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Appeal against condition 3 (materials as approved) to allow uPVC rather than timber windows in the locally listed Dingle Bank House
- Site context
- conservation area
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- HE6(1), HE6(4), DM6
- Development plan policies
- Warrington Local Plan 2023 DC2, DC6
- Main issues
- conservation area; non-designated heritage asset
Summary
A management company sought to vary a materials condition so that timber windows in a locally listed Victorian house in Lymm Conservation Area could be replaced in uPVC. The inspector found harm to the conservation area and upheld the condition under HE6, although the harm is still labelled 'less than substantial' (DL 11).
What made the difference
uPVC's uniform finish and weathering would be clearly distinguishable from painted timber on a prominent building. The claimed benefits were unevidenced (DL 9, 13).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| HE6(1) | harm | substantial | uPVC would be an incongruous material on a well-preserved 19th-century locally listed building; harm to Lymm CA at the 'lower end of less than substantial' (DL 9-11) |
| HE6(4) | fail | maintenance, thermal performance and cost claims unevidenced; limited weight (DL 13) | |
| DM6 | pass | condition 3 reasonable and necessary (DL 14, 16) |
Key facts
- Parties given the opportunity to comment on the 2026 Framework (DL 2)
- No evidence that timber windows were undeliverable or disproportionately costly (DL 13)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.