# Ground Floor Flat, 2 Douglas Road, Herne Bay

- **Decision:** allowed, 18 September 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: A Knight
- **Authority:** Canterbury (South East)
- **Appeal reference:** 6009081
- **Application reference:** CA/26/00307
- **Procedure:** householder
- **Development:** Retrospective replacement of timber windows and rear door with uPVC in a conservation area
- **Site context:** conservation-area, inside-settlement
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** HE5(2)(b)
- **Development plan policies:** Canterbury District Local Plan 2017 DBE3, DBE6, HE1, HE6
- **Main issues:** conservation area
- **Tags:** tier-2, conservation-area, heritage-no-harm, upvc-windows, retrospective, parties-consulted-on-2026-framework

## Summary
Retrospective uPVC windows in a Herne Bay conservation-area terrace were allowed. They kept the terrace's uniform window pattern, and uPVC was already present and Council-approved nearby. The Inspector used the new HE5 categories: "the scheme has had no effect on the significance of the heritage asset" (DL ¶19).

## What made the difference
The significance lay in the terrace's uniformity of pattern, not in its material, and the pre-existing photograph showed the replacement was, if anything, slimmer (DL ¶¶10, 15–17). HE5(2)(b) "no effect" meant there was no HE6 balance.

## Policy findings
- **HE5(2)(b): pass.** "With reference to Policy HE5 of the Framework, the scheme has had no effect on the significance of the heritage asset" (DL 19)
- **HE6(1): neutral (substantial weight).** substantial weight to conservation cited (DL 6) but no harm found

## Key facts
- uPVC front window has slimmer mullions/transoms than the timber original and keeps the terrace's 6-panel ground-floor pattern
- Council previously approved uPVC on four terrace properties

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/d3b46680-d1fc-47f1-a10d-54600621cd4e
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6009081

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6009081.html

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