104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 21 January 2025 by C Skelly BA (Hons) MSc MA MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 18th February 2025 Appeal Ref: APP/Y5420/W/24/3354045 Kestral House School, 104 Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London N8 9EA • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Outcomes First Group against the decision of the Council of the London Borough of Haringey. • The application Ref is HGY/2024/1103. • The development proposed is replacement of existing external windows and doors. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Preliminary Matters 2. The Government published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) on 12 December 2024. Those parts of the Framework most relevant to this appeal have not been substantially amended. As a result, I have not sought submissions on the revised Framework, and I am satisfied that no interested parties have been prejudiced by taking this approach. Main Issue 3. The main issue is whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Crouch End Conservation Area (CA). Reasons 4.

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision The appeal site is a detached brick-built building, located in a prominent location on the corner of the busy road of Crouch Hill and Cecile Park. The central part of the building has three storeys with semi-basement. At ground floor level there are tall bay windows which sit either side of a large front porch. To either side of the main central element are two storey wings, set back from the main elevation. The windows on the front elevation are tall, traditional timber sashes. At first and second floor levels, windows have an arched head which is recessed from the brick surround detailing. The remaining windows to the front and to the rear of the property have square heads. The scale and volume of windows on the front elevation, the arched head design and brick surround detailing adds to the visual interest of the building when viewed from Crouch Hill. 5. The appeal site adjoins two more modern buildings with a further modern building located on the opposite side of Cecile Park. The wider area predominantly comprises traditional Victorian residential terraces and villas. Although there are https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/Y5420/W/24/3354045 some examples of PVCu materials on newer buildings, timber sash windows are a prevalent character of the area. 6. Because the appeal site lies in the CA, I have had special regard to Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (the Act). The Conservation Area Appraisal (CAA) (2010) subdivides the CA into sub areas, with the appeal site located within the Christchurch sub area. The significance of this part of the CA is derived from its mix of mid-Victorian villas and late Victorian terraces which line both sides of Crouch Hill. The appeal building contributes positively to the character and appearance of the CA through its traditional architectural appearance and prominence on Crouch Hill. The CAA lists removal or alteration of timber sash windows as matters which can diminish the quality and richness of buildings. 7. The proposal would involve the replacement of the existing timber windows with PVCu vertical sash windows, the majority of which would be observable from the public domain. The doors would also be replaced however no drawings were submitted showing the details of these.

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision The proposed elevation drawing shows that the existing arched head windows would be replaced with square head windows. The submitted drawings do not show detailed measurements or finishes of the existing windows or those proposed. However, the use of square head windows would not follow the arch of the window surround which would result in a thicker frame to the top of the window. Therefore, the appearance of the new windows would be noticeably different to that of the existing timber windows, which would diminish the traditional appearance of the building. 8. Although there are some examples of the use of PVCu windows in the immediate area, including those adjoining the appeal site they are not part of the local character. The proposal would introduce PVCu windows into a prominent building within the CA, where the existing timber windows contribute positively to the character and appearance of the CA. The proposal for non-traditional materials in this location would detract from the prevailing character of the CA. 9. The appellant has referred me to an appeal at 33 Landsdown Road, Bedford1.

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision Whilst the Inspector allowed the appeal this was on the basis of the proposed conservation style PVCu windows being of a similar appearance as those nearby. Based on the evidence before me this would not be the case with regard to the appeal before me. Therefore, this appeal is not directly comparable to this case. In any event every application and appeal must be addressed on its own merits, as I have done. A further example is shown on the submitted drawings of photographs of Brookthorpe Hall School in Gloucestershire where timber windows have been replaced with PVCu. Although these photographs have been taken some distance away these windows have a visibly thicker frame than the existing windows of the appeal building. These examples do not lead me to reach a different conclusion on the main issue. 10. The proposal would harm the character and appearance of the host building which contributes positively to the CA. I find the harm to be less than substantial in this instance but nevertheless of considerable importance and weight. Paragraph 215 of the Framework states that where harm is identified to the significance of 1 APP/K0235/D/23/3318897 https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/Y5420/W/24/3354045 designated heritage assets and their setting, it should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. 11. The appellant puts forward that the proposal would enhance the energy efficiency of the building and reduce maintenance costs. Although timber windows will require regular maintenance this could be included within the school’s wider maintenance programme. Whilst I note the argument put forward in relation to improving energy efficiency, I have no substantive evidence before me to demonstrate that the PVCu windows would provide greater energy efficiency than replacement timber windows, which would maintain architectural integrity of the building. 12. Taken overall, I attribute neutral weight to the public benefits of the proposal, which is insufficient to outweigh the less than substantial harm to the CA. Given this and the above, I conclude that the proposal would fail to satisfy the requirements of the Act, paragraph 210 of the Framework, and conflicts with policies DM1 and DM9 of Haringey’s Local Plan Development Management Development Plan Document (2017) and policies SP11 and SP12 of Haringey’s Local Plan Strategic Policies 2013 to 2026 (2013).

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — Appeal Decision Taken together these policies, amongst other things seek to ensure development conserves and enhances the significance of heritage assets and enriches Haringeys’ built environment. Conclusion 13. For the reasons set out above the appeal does not succeed.

104 Kestral House School, Crouch Hill, Hornsey, Haringey, London, N8 9EA — London Borough of Haringey — C Skelly INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 3