Fife school’s crumbling windows to be replaced in planned major upgrade

A kitchen door is also earmarked for replacement at East Wemyss Primary School in a planning application lodged by the local authority’s property services.

The windows are in various states of disrepair due to water damage and a lack of maintenance. Some have been deliberately made inoperable due to concern over their structural integrity. A report tabled with the application said some top sashes have dropped in their frame leaving air gaps at the top, sash cords have snapped, many are paint stuck and frames have bare wet timber. Wet sections are suspected of having soft and yielding timber, and in some instances, astragals have been physically damaged and have sections missing.

The application proposes replacing them with new timber framed purpose made windows sealed double gazed units.A supporting statement said: “Although some very minor repairs to the timber frames and astragals have been carried out over recent years, other than the need to repair damage caused by vandalism - principally replacing broken glass - most have had no attention.

“Rather than adopt a piece-meal approach of repair, it is felt that to maximise the available budge and to improve the thermal performance of the building and subsequently the wellbeing of the occupants, the better option is to completely replace the existing windows with new. This approach has worked well in other school buildings that have had windows replaced.

“A further benefit being overall disruption to the running of the school can be significantly reduced as replacing a window is less time consuming than repairing. Classrooms need only be out of commission for a brief period.”

Councillors will consider the application in due course.