Re: Re: Dundalk Terrace
….A typical scene from an Irish town.
We always had visual awareness, right up to the 1950s/’60s, when we began to lose it in a massive way. And when I say ‘we’ I mean the common man/woman. There was always quality and aptness applied to buildings, no matter how humble. I just don’t know what happened to lead to the point where we think it’s ok to do things like to the details of the terrace above….
@phil wrote:
How can councils approach this issue. Is it up to people who care to complain when it happens. If people living in a listed building suddenly change their windows to PVC, is it up to a neighbor to write an objection? In many cases this could cause more trouble than it is worth, so people might be less likely to object. Is it up to a designated person in each council to approach these issues?
There is a bit about this on the first page, Phil. Essentially, changing windows in a Protected Structure requires planning permission. So if a Prot. Struc. has replaced old windows with PVC (or even aluminium windows with PVC / early PVC with new PVC), you can make a complaint to the Planning Enforcement section of the relevant council. There begins the enforcement process of inspection / report / warning letter(s) / final letter.
Unlike a 3rd party letter regarding a planning application, an enforcement complaint is anonymous, so there shouldn’t be any problem with neighbours knowing.
In some cases, the council might know about the unauthorised window replacement and begin enforcement action themselves – e.g. if it is a prominent building – but mostly it’s up to individuals / local groups / heritage bodies to make the complaint. It’s ridiculous, but sometimes a Prot. Struc. has PVC fitted and no one spots it or bothers to make a complaint, so they get away with it.
Thousands of buildings in this country should be Prot. Strucs. (or should be in ACAs) but are not, like the Mill Houses on the previous page, so that’s another problem: – they can be freely PVC’d.
Another situation where you might make a complaint is where an owner of a Prot. Struc. agreed to re-instate sash windows under the terms of a wider planning permission, but didn’t do it. I’ve just made a complaint on behalf of An Taisce for a Prot. Struc. at 9 Lower Liffey Street (The Lotts pub): – As part of their of planning permission for refurbishment & new building adjoining, they were to reinstate sashes, but the development is now complete for more than 6 months and the ’70s aluminium windows are still there. They’re trying to slither out of the extra couple of grand expenditure for new windows. That’s Ireland for you! :rolleyes:
