Conservation area application refused — worth appealing?

We applied to replace our 1970s aluminium windows with timber sash windows in a conservation area. The council refused it saying the design "lacks traditional proportion and would harm the character of the area."

The thing is, every other house on the street has already done exactly the same thing over the past 10 years. It feels like we're being held to a different standard.

Has anyone won an appeal on something similar? Is it worth the cost and time, or should we just redesign and reapply?

This sounds frustratingly inconsistent. Have you checked the council's own design guide for the conservation area? If it explicitly shows examples of the window style you're proposing, that's strong evidence.

Also — take photos of the other houses that have done it. If 8 out of 10 houses on the street have similar windows, the "harm to character" argument becomes very hard to justify.

I went through something almost identical in Kingston. We appealed and won — the inspector basically said the council's refusal was inconsistent with the prevailing character of the street. Cost about £400 for the appeal fee and we did the paperwork ourselves.

One tip: the appeal is decided on the facts at the time of application, not what happens after. So if more houses change their windows while you're waiting, that evidence still counts.

That's really encouraging to hear. Did you use the Planning Inspectorate's online portal or did you have to post everything? And how long did the appeal take from submission to decision?