Councils will face tough decisions in balancing preserving historic buildings with being eco-friendly

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A bid to install new double glazing and solar panels onto two old properties has sparked a warning over tough decisions councillors will face between preserving ancient townscapes and pushing for a climate-friendly future.With the growing need to insulate homes and the development of alternative energy sources such as solar panels and external heat pumps, planning laws are starting to creak with age.

The rules on double glazing are more than 30 years old.In Linlithgow, two proposals involving the installation of double glazing and solar panels were rejected by West Lothian’s Local Review Body as being out of character with surroundings and fundamentally altering the look of buildings.Councillor Willie Boyle supported the decisions - to demand the removal of uPVC windows from the Masonic Lodge in the centre of the town and refusing solar panels, and new windows in a Victorian villa in Avon Place.But he told the meeting that how they handle new technologies such as solar panels is “a conversation we are going to have to have.”Current restrictions on double glazing are strict, demanding like for like, which automatically rejects uPVC metal or other materials to replace wooden framed windows.However many owners of older properties argue that one of the major reasons for replacing ageing windows is to improve insulation and cut down on rising heating bills and maintenance.The Masonic Lodge had appealed after planners had rejected a retrospective application to cover new uPVC windows installed in the 1906 building in Market Lane.Agents for the applicants argued in their appeal: “In the opinion of the joiner who installed the PVC windows, the wooden windows had rotted beyond repair which was preventing the building from being