Windows in Reigate's listed houses
The Reigate Town Centre conservation area alone holds about seventy-nine listed buildings. For any of them, the window question is a consent question first.
Listed building consent, not planning permission
Listing protects the inside and outside of a building, and the windows are part of its fabric. Replacing a window in a listed house, or changing its glass, needs listed building consent from Reigate and Banstead or Mole Valley, even where the same work on an unlisted neighbour would need nothing at all. Doing it without consent is an offence.
Reigate's listed houses range from the Georgian brick fronts of West Street, such as Browne's Lodge of 1784, to the tile-hung Slipshoe House of 1591. Out in the villages, the listed cottages along Betchworth's The Street and around Buckland's green carry 12-pane and 16-pane sashes and leaded casements that the list entries describe by name.
What usually gets consent
Repair comes first: new sash cords, spliced-in timber, draught strips. Where a window is beyond repair, the expected replacement is a timber copy of it. Slim double-glazed units in a timber sash are sometimes approved and sometimes refused, depending on the building and on how much historic glass survives.
Secondary glazing
Where the originals must stay, a slim secondary pane fitted inside the reveal keeps out most of the draught and noise, and can usually be removed without trace. As an indicative market range, not one of the installer's own prices, a secondary unit for a 900 x 1800 sash opening costs about £450 to £1,200 supplied and fitted including VAT.
Where the installer fits in
The installer's survey can provide drawings of existing and proposed windows for a consent application, and price a timber replacement at £2,650 to £3,800 for a 900 x 1800 box sash. Conservation sashes with true glazing bars at 1100 x 2400 run from £4,700 to £7,900. Most listed-building owners also speak to a conservation officer before applying, which the council encourages.
Historic England's search at historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list will confirm whether a building is listed.
Own a listed house in Reigate or the villages? Say so on the form and the survey will start from repair.