Part L proposals' will damage british streetscapes' says steel windows giant

Steel window manufacturer Crittall Windows is warning that the appearance of period buildings and historic streetscapes could be irrevocably damaged if proposed changes to the Building Regulations go through.

The controversy surrounds Part L of the regulations and the Government’s intention to scrap current exemptions for buildings of an historic character.

And it is not only aesthetics that stand to lose out, claims Crittall Windows' Managing Director John Pyatt. “We believe that the proposals as currently drafted run the risk of stifling, rather than encouraging, sensible measures to improve the thermal performance of buildings,” he said.

The present Part L was agreed in 2006 with the aim of reducing the carbon emissions from buildings. In so doing, it recognised that listed buildings or those of a special heritage character or in conservation areas needed sensitive handling so that improving thermal performance did not damage the building’s historic quality, or its heritage appearance.

The proposed alterations, due to come into effect next April, remove these exemptions and replace them with far less precise ‘special considerations’.

“What is now proposed has less clarity than before. It is open to inconsistent decisions from one borough to another, it downgrades the important role of local authority conservation officers and it prevents imaginative solutions that preserve historic character whilst reducing carbon emissions,” says Mr Pyatt.

He fears that steel framed windows, a defining visual feature of so many important early 20th century and Art Deco buildings, could not be replaced like for like if the new regulations become law despite the fact that:

· Steel framed windows have thinner frames that allow in more daylight thus reducing the use of artificial lighting

· They are the strongest material for window manufacture

· Steel is a completely recyclable material

Another concern is that householders could be prevented from replacing old steel windows with newer equivalents because the new regulations would not permit it.

“The proposed regs will limit personal choice. Faced with these obstacles many owners will either be forced to ruin the appearance of their properties by using alternative window materials with a consequent loss of light, or they will abandon plans to renew their windows and so forego any energy-saving improvements, ‘ said Mr Pyatt.