Hi Scorpio, Good luck with your search whatever you decide. The conservation area has been a contentious subject ever since it was introduced and I have mixed feelings. It probably has had a detrimental affect on some buildings it was introduced to protect but at the same time I'm very glad that there is not a free for all on replacement of historic features. I recently had to make similar repairs to sash windows in the conservation area and although initially I thought that putting PVC replacements in would have been a good choice to have I now very much prefer having the repaired originals. It is relatively straightforward to add brush pile draught proofing strips at the same time and the cost doesn't have to be as much as you think. A fully sealed uPVC unit is often not suitable with regard to ventilation needed for the design of the building and the insulation value difference once you have draught proofed and added a well fitting heavy curtain perhaps isn't as much as people realise. Well insulated internal shutters are also an option as well as secondary glazing. I can pass on details of the local company that did my repairs on request.if you do decide to go this route. It's before my time but I'm almost certain the council offices were built before the conservation area was introduced. The historic building it replaced has a few topics on this site although its name escapes me. Yes this is my main opposition to the conservation area strategy. Common sense is often thrown out of the window and some buildings are starting to fall down as a result. The old school building has been mentioned in this topic and is a good example of where a number of proposals were put forward by a developer. Some of these proposals would still have meant a fairly major change to the character of the building but much of it was to be preserved. In the end because all proposals were rejected by the local planning authority at an early stage it went to appeal. An expensive legal battle eventually led to the plans with the least amount of the original building being preserved being accepted and unfortunately the momentum taken out of the whole process. So now all that is happening is the building is continuing to fall down. If this is the building I'm thinking of it is not in the grounds of Laird's House, it is behind 40c and 40d Front Street West (currently the beauty salon and hairdressers). Yes, this confuses me too. There are a number of properties that have had uPVC windows fitted inside the conservation area since it was introduced. When mine were repaired I was surprised by how much is salvageable. The cills are the first to go but often the sashes themselves can be stripped repaired and repainted. A few of the bottom rails of the lower sashes had rotten and were replaced. New cords were fitted and draught seals added.