St Michael’s wins its fight for plastic windows

The kirk session of the historic St Michael’s Church in Linlithgow has won the right to install uPVC windows.

The windows and replacement door will be fitted to the 1970’s church manse, right in the heart of the town’s conservation area.

West Lothian Council’s development management committee heard a lengthy list of objections and contraventions of conservation rules from planning officers who recommended refusal of planning permission. Jim Rae, the property convener of St Michael’s, told the committee that the manse was “obscured from public view”.

He added that the replacement windows would match the brown colour of the existing wooden ones. The only difference would be in the opening mechanism.

Mr Rae said the difference between uPVC and replacement timber windows would be around £6000.

Local councillor Tom Conn, a member of the church congregation, spoke in favour of the application.

He said many buildings in the surrounding area, especially on Blackness Road and the High Street where they are much more visible, had already been fitted with uPVC windows.

Mr Rae said other fittings on the manse building, such as guttering, had been PVC from the time of fitting.

Councillor Willie Boyle backed the switch, describing modern designs as far superior and adding the new windows would be far more in line with new policies on energy conservation.

Provost Tom Kerr, a Linlithgow councillor, said: “I’m quite happy to grant this. It fulfils designs principles. It does nothing to reduce the enhancement.”

The committee agreed.