THE owners of two plush homes may be ordered to tear out new windows which were installed without planning permission.

Southend Council’s development control committee debated applications centred on two homes - one at 60 Gunners Rise, within the Shoebury Garrison area, and the second at 16 and 16a The Leas, in Chalkwell.

Both homes had changed the windows on their homes without planning permission.

The Gunners Rise home is one of 97 similarly-designed homes constructed as part of the Gunnery Hill development, and sits near to the Shoebury Garrison Conservation Area.

Original timber sash windows and timber doors designed to be in keeping with the garrison development have been removed and replaced with white aluminium frame windows and a bi-fold window to the rear of the property.

A planning statement said the windows were installed to allow for better protection and “mitigation against continual maintenance work”.

However, Martin Berry, Labour councillor for St Luke’s ward, said: “The site being close to the estuary caused damage to the fenestration and these windows were installed for better protection and mitigation against maintenance work but the other properties seem to have managed so I don’t think it’s that much mitigation.”

Ian Shead, Independent councillor for Southchurch ward, said: “We seem to be going for the owner of this property under the conservation area aspect of it when he’s not in the conservation area. I’m just wondering if we are over-stepping our mark a bit.”

Councillors heard officers had to consider the harm to the neighbouring conservation area and retrospective planning permission was refused by the committee at a meeting last week.

At the homes in The Leas, UPVC windows were installed without planning permission but before the conservation area designation.

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Because the conservation area was subsequently granted, the windows do not fit in with standards.

Maxine Sadza, Labour councillor for Milton ward, said the windows were replaced by the applicant’s father in 2020 prior to the creation of the conservation area.

She added: “His father was not aware at the time this was going to be a conservation area and he was not aware at the time they were the wrong kind of windows.”

However, councillors voted against the application.