Planning permission for windows in Crowborough and the villages
In Crowborough town, replacing windows on a house rarely needs permission. In the villages around it, conservation areas, listed buildings and one Article 4 direction change the picture. This is a plain summary, not legal advice; check with Wealden District Council, or Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for the Kent side of Groombridge, before you order.
Crowborough town
The Crowborough Conservation Area was designated on 21 March 2001 and re-designated on 1 March 2017. It is small: the Cross, the High Street, The Broadway, Croft Road, London Road, St John's Road and Beacon Road as far as Christ Church. The Crowborough Cross pub is the only listed building in the town centre.
No Article 4 direction removes the right to change windows on houses in Crowborough. The older Article 4 directions in the town apply to particular pieces of land, not to house windows. So for a house on the Forest estate, in Poundfield, on Beacon Hill or in Jarvis Brook, replacement windows that look broadly similar to the old ones are permitted development.
Even inside the town conservation area, permitted development for houses still applies to windows, though the council will expect the new ones to respect the street. Check before changing the style.
Where permission can be needed
- Flats. Flats have no householder permitted development rights. Changing windows in a flat in a divided villa on Church Road or Beacon Road may need planning permission, and almost always needs the freeholder's consent.
- Listed buildings. Any change that affects character needs listed building consent, and timber is usually expected. Listed houses are common in the old centres of Mayfield, Wadhurst, Rotherfield and Groombridge.
- Article 4 directions. Wealden District Council's register shows one conservation-area Article 4 direction, covering land in the Rotherfield Conservation Area (Direction No 1, 2006). The council's own parish page has also said no direction is currently in place, so ask the council which properties it affects.
- Other conservation areas. Mayfield, Wadhurst and Rotherfield have long-standing conservation areas. Five Ashes and Eridge Green and The Forstal were designated on 22 March 2017, the same day the Rotherfield area was extended. Old Groombridge is a conservation area in Tunbridge Wells borough.
The High Weald was renamed the High Weald National Landscape in November 2023 and is still legally an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Being in it does not by itself stop a house owner replacing windows, but it does tighten other permitted development rights. Crowborough's built-up area sits largely at the edge of, or outside, the boundary; check your own address on the council's map.
Building regulations
Replacement windows and doors must meet building regulations for energy, ventilation and safety glass. A FENSA-registered installer certifies its own work and registers it, so you do not need to apply to Wealden building control separately. You receive the certificate after fitting; keep it for when you sell. More in how enquiries work.
Getting a firm answer
Wealden District Council runs a paid enquiry service on conservation-area questions, which at the time of writing cost £48 plus VAT. For a listed building, ask the council's conservation officer before choosing a window. For the price of the windows themselves, see typical prices or timber windows.
Get a price for your house
Tell us the street, the house and roughly how many windows. A FENSA-registered installer will arrange to survey and send a written quote.