Planning rules for replacement windows in Tonbridge and the villages

Two councils cover the places on this site. Neither, as far as we could find, has an Article 4 direction on windows in these areas. That makes planning simpler here than in many Kent towns, but there are still three cases where it matters.

Which council

• Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council: Tonbridge, Hildenborough, Hadlow, Golden Green and East Peckham.
• Sevenoaks District Council: Leigh and Penshurst, even though both are closer to Tonbridge than to Sevenoaks.

Conservation areas you might be in

• Tonbridge: designated in 1969 and extended several times. It runs from the river up to Yardley Park Road and takes in the castle, the High Street, Bordyke, the Mill Stream streets, the Slade, Tonbridge School and Dry Hill Park.
• Quarry Hill: on the southern approach, from the Woodside Road junction to St Stephen's Church, including Quarry Hill Road, Brook Street and Waterloo Road.
• Hildenborough: the London Road frontage from St John's Church to the Half Moon, with Church Road, Mount Pleasant and part of Riding Lane.
• Hadlow: the High Street, The Square, Church Lane and the castle grounds. The council is updating the appraisal.
• East Peckham: four separate areas, at Roydon, Little Mill, Snoll Hatch and Bullen Corner.
• Leigh and Penshurst (Sevenoaks District): both villages have conservation areas covering their historic centres.

Golden Green does not appear on the borough's list of conservation areas.

What a conservation area means for windows

For a house (not a flat) that is not listed, swapping windows for ones that look similar does not normally need planning permission, conservation area or not. The council's appraisals do ask for replacements that match the original design, and Leigh's 2019 appraisal is blunt that plastic windows harm its character. Our advice in a conservation area is to keep the pattern: sash for sash, casement for casement, same bars, same colour.

The three cases where you need to ask first

1. Listed buildings. Listed building consent is needed for any significant work, inside or out. Expect the council to want timber. Search the national list on the Historic England website if you are not sure.
2. Flats. Flats do not have the same permitted development rights as houses, so changing windows usually needs planning permission. Converted buildings such as the old maltings in Hadlow fall into this group, and leaseholders also need the freeholder's agreement.
3. Article 4 directions. These remove permitted development rights in a named area. We found none covering windows here. In October 2026 Tonbridge and Malling's cabinet approved a direction for parts of Judd, Vauxhall and Cage Green and Angel wards, but it covers turning houses into small shared houses, not windows.

Building regulations

Replacement windows must meet building regulations for energy, safety glass and escape from upstairs rooms. A FENSA-registered installer can sign this off itself and register the work, so you do not need a separate building control application. See who surveys.

Sources: conservation area pages and appraisals published by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Sevenoaks District Council, and the Planning Portal guidance on doors and windows. Planning rules change, so check with your council before you commit.