Re: Re: Irish say no to PVC windows

That really is the case though. In the more developed east you’re used to seeing the mistakes made in the 70s and 80s with aluminium, cheap timber and early PVC – you gloss over it as you do with much of the inappropriate development from these times.

But when you see tons, literally tons of plastic being installed post 1995, i.e. in the past ten years across the western side of the country, the mind boggles as to the ignorance of local authorities, property owners and the planning system as a whole.
Other European countries like Sweden seem to have put legislative safeguards in place in the 1970s, while even today in this country we still can’t control what’s happening to older stock.

I’ve said it before, but what is the Dept of Education doing about the hundreds of schools around the country replacing sash windows with PVC? They have a direct role to play here in safeguarding architecturally worthy school buildings, and in being environmentally pro-active. The scourge of PVC in 1890s-1940s school buildings is one of the worst aspects of the plastic invasion. Suppose you really cannot blame schools for wanting comparitively maintenance-free frames considering their often shoe-string budgets, but PVC’s use in schools is particularly inappropriate given the wear and tear they recieve and the difficultly in repair.

Regarding the Tidy Towns, they do have this to say in their information pack:

“The major threat to the overall architectural character of a town or village isn’t necessarily from large one-off developments, but through the day-to-day activities of property owners and occupiers. Try and avoid these potential causes for damage:
. The replacement of timber windows by P.V.C, particularly in historic buildings
. The use of varnished timber instead of paint
. Removal of the traditional plaster finish and pointing-up the stone or brickwork behind – this destroys local traditions and can cause long term damage to the fabric of the building
. Installing “pseudo traditional type shopfronts” which ignore local context and characteristics
. Removal of old boundary walls and outbuildings.”

I think a little stronger language is in order than ‘try to avoid’ :rolleyes:
The Tidy Towns has a mahor role to play also in protecting older buildings from PVC – conservation is a heck of a lot more than window boxes, heritage lanterns and parish pumps surrounded by geraniums.

I think their concern for the problem is summed up perfectly by their current billboard campaign – think it’s the one with a guy with paint all over his face and a whitewashed cottage in the background. And what’s that inserted into the window aperture?……