AROUND 750 windows at Maidstone’s County Hall are to be replaced in a job that could prove particularly lucrative to double glazing firms.

The county council says the existing windows at Sessions House, a 19th century Grade Two listed building that is KCC’s administrative headquarters, are in a poor state of repair and have to be changed.

It has applied to Maidstone planners for permission to put in new windows in all parts of Sessions House to replace the existing mix of steel frames that are suffering from corrosion and wooden frames, which in many cases are rotten.

KCC said it would not comment on the estimated costs of the work which is likely to stretch over two years because it had not yet received planning permission and put the work out to tender.

However, it is thought likely that the final bill is likely to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Cllr Nick Chard (Con), KCC’s finance cabinet member, said the council had been aware the work would need doing for some time.

He stressed the replacement windows would be sympathetic to the listed building and surrounding Conservation Area.

“The work needs to be done and it has gone past the point where we can put it off. We need to act as a responsible landlord and to make sure that the fabric of the building is maintained. It has been in our programme of work for some time,” he said.

The work is expected to last two years and would begin next March.