TWO East Lothian neighbours refused permission to replace wooden window frames and doors with ‘greener’ uPVC will have their appeals heard on the same day.

The residents of Forth Street, North Berwick, were told that the new plastic frames they wanted to put in their modern properties would be "harmful" to the character of the conservation area they lived in.

But one resident, in their appeal to East Lothian Council’s local review body, points out that a fellow homeowner living directly opposite them has already won an appeal against a similar decision by the local authority’s planners.

And they say that the replacement will help protect their homes from the "winter winds and gales” which buffet their homes from the Firth of Forth.

In one appeal statement, the homeowner, who says she is a pensioner, says: “We have had Care and Repair repeatedly attempt to insulate windows and doors, yet the rains still saturate the wooden frames which shrink in the summer, then swell in winter. uPVC will not shrink and swell but fit consistently all year round.”

'Historically insignificant'

She adds: “Our properties were built in 1993, therefore are historically insignificant but aim to present an attractive element in a street which serves as a through route, not a tourist stop.”

The other applicant points to the council’s own climate change policy, arguing that the new uPVC is more energy efficient than the current wooden frames they want to replace.

They urge councillors to look at samples of the ‘wooden grain’ style of uPVC they both propose for their adjoining homes.

The applicant says: “The uPVC used today is not the old ‘shiny’ cheap-looking material of old. This material is used in helping buildings retain heat and reduce emissions.”

Both applications were rejected by planners last year because they would be “harmful to the character and appearance” of both the buildings and the conservation area.

The local review body will meet to consider both application next week.