Environmentally irresponsible window replacement Goose Green school.

[ms_wilson]

Goose Green school have submitted a planning application to replace all their windows with single glazed units. I am angry that such a large investment is being made on such an environmentally irresponsible and short sighted solution. I think the units should be double glazed to reduce the school?s carbon footprint and reduce the heating costs. I also think they should have addressed the options of using coatings to reflect light on south facing aspects to reduce the heat in summer.

If anyone else wants to oppose this the planning application on the Southwark Portal is here:

https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=QDIQ9ZKBGW800

[intexasatthe moment]

I don't how this work is funded or by who but perhaps the budget doesn't run to double glazing or reflective coating.

[MarkT]

The Proposal is "like for like" replacement, which is probably not the cheapest option, either initially or for subsequent maintenance and energy costs. As it is a listed building, I suspect English Heritage's influence is overriding economic or environmental considerations.

MarkT

[Mark]

Do you know why they're replacing the windows ms_wilson?

Do you know if they have looked at other options including more "environmentally responsible" ones?

Do you know why they came up with the decision to replace them "like for like"?

Do you know their budget and any listed building constraints?

I'm trying to work out if you're angry knowing what they've been through, or if you've simply read an application and become angry without knowing the full story.

If you do know the answers please share them so we can understand.

[Soylent Green]

Southwark schools lost ?750 per pupil from their budgets under Theresa May. Double glazed windows are more environmentally friendly, but I doubt their greatly restricted budgets could afford them. There is a lot of glass to replace. When schools replace windows it is usually because the frames are in disrepair; the pull cords no longer work, the wood is rotting or they are stuck and do no open. This will be the school's priority.

[womanofdulwich]

A long time ago someone from the audit office explained to me that headteachers and governors are meant to plan the maintenance of their buildings, but of course they are not skilled in doing this. There was a lot of money swoshing around unspent in their coffers. I suspect that if they didn't spend it ,their future budgets were cut etc etc.

[alice]

Sometimes rules say must be ?like for like? and that means single glazing. Maybe that?s the case here

[GG governors]

Hi, we totally share the commitment to make our school as environmentally friendly as possible and play our part in tackling the climate emergency. We've done huge amounts of work on air pollution and planting in our school, and reducing our energy use is a big priority (for environmental and financial reasons - as highlighted above).

We?re really pleased to have successfully secured capital grant funding to replace our current windows. At the moment the very old window frames are a big cause of energy loss, replacing these will reduce our energy use, save money and improve the educational environment for our children.

We are limited by the listed status of our building and as part of this work we are getting expert advice on how we can make sure the new windows are as environmentally friendly as possible within the limits of what the listing allows.

If you have any suggestions for ideas that have worked elsewhere I'd be really grateful if you could share examples we can look into to see if they would work for our school too.

Rob

Chair of Governors

[andrewc]

Hi Rob,

Is it possible to argue that the development proposal contravenes the sustainable requirement of the section quoted below taken from the design and access statement in the planning proposal? In other words the 'listing' itself contradicts the sustainable requirement.

3.0 Relevant Planning Policy

National Level: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2019

3.1 At paragraph 7 of the NPPF it states that: ?The purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.? It goes on at paragraph 10 to state that there should be a ?...presumption in favour of

1

sustainable development.? It then states at paragraph 38 it that: ?Decision- makers at every level should seek to approve applications for sustainable development where possible.?

[SpringTime]

ms_wilson Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Goose Green school have submitted a planning

> application to replace all their windows with

> single glazed units. I am angry that such a large

> investment is being made on such an

> environmentally irresponsible and short sighted

> solution. I think the units should be double

> glazed to reduce the school?s carbon footprint and

> reduce the heating costs. I also think they should

> have addressed the options of using coatings to

> reflect light on south facing aspects to reduce

> the heat in summer.

>

> If anyone else wants to oppose this the planning

> application on the Southwark Portal is here:

>

> https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applicati

> ons/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyV

> al=QDIQ9ZKBGW800

Presumably the school has decided to use knackered and massively outdated single glazing so that thay can then spend extra money they don't have on heating, and so that the kids and teachers and other staff succumb to colds and flu. Ideal in our Virus-laden times when pennies count and we're worried about climate change.

Or maybe they're going for high-grade Mono-laminate glazing, or similar, which is as tough, secure and even more efficient than most current double glazing. How dare they?!

[redpost]

Mono laminate is nowhere near as efficient as double glazing, has a U value of around 3.5

Single is around 6, argon filled double is about 1.2

[Penguin68]

Argon filled units are 5-10% more expensive - possibly higher for custom units to meet listed requirements. I don't know what their order times are, but possibly longer as well, which may not mean argon filled windows could not be installed in due time (for next term, for instance). For public expenditure (and a lot of windows) the 5-10% additional costs may not be meet-able. Double glazed (air filled) windows have a U of 2.8 - 3.00 - so less good than mono-laminate.