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Daylight and sunlight assessments
A qualified daylight consultant assesses daylight and sunlight to the rooms in a new scheme, and its effect on neighbouring homes and gardens, using BRE BR 209. You receive a report for your planning application.
When you need it
Local planning authorities often ask for a daylight and sunlight report where a scheme could affect neighbours or where new homes may have limited light. BRE BR 209 is the guide most widely used. It is advisory, not mandatory, and its numerical targets can be varied to suit the development and its location.
For neighbouring buildings, the guide uses tests such as vertical sky component, the no-sky line and annual probable sunlight hours. For new rooms, it works alongside the daylight recommendations in BS EN 17037. Testing options early is easier than redesigning massing after an objection.
What is included
Included
- 3D model of the scheme and surrounding buildings from drawings and available data
- Daylight and sunlight tests to neighbouring windows
- Overshadowing of nearby gardens and open spaces
- Daylight and sunlight to the proposed rooms
- Report for the planning application
Priced separately
- Measured surveys of neighbouring buildings
- Rights to light advice, which is a separate legal matter
- Remodelling after design changes
- Expert witness or appeal work
Your written quotation confirms the exact scope, what is included and any limits for your building.
What you receive
A daylight and sunlight report that sets out the results for neighbouring properties and the proposed rooms against the BR 209 guidance, for submission with your planning application.
Sent as a PDF. We can send it to your building control body or agent on request.
Our reports and testing support the compliance process. Approval and completion decisions remain with your building control body: the local authority, a registered building control approver, or the Building Safety Regulator for higher-risk buildings.
How to prepare
- Site address and the local planning authority
- Existing and proposed plans, sections and elevations
- A 3D model or topographical survey, if available
- Any information on neighbouring buildings, such as window positions
- Pre-application advice or neighbour concerns
Send what you have. Missing details will not stop an enquiry; we will tell you anything still needed.
How it works
Tell usChoose the service or describe the job.
Written quotationScope, deliverables and price, confirmed in writing.
We manage the workArranged and coordinated by RegulaBuild. Technical work is carried out by appropriately qualified professionals.
Your reportThe output named in your quotation, with any follow-up.
Questions
Is daylight assessment a Building Regulations requirement?
No. It is a planning matter. Building Regulations deal separately with overheating and ventilation.
Is this the same as a right to light?
No. Rights to light are a legal right under property law, separate from planning. BR 209 explains the difference, and specialist legal advice is needed for rights to light.
What if the scheme does not meet every target?
BR 209 says its targets can be applied flexibly. The report explains the results so the planning authority can weigh them.
Often booked with
Combine them in one quote request
Planning
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Statements covering energy, water, materials and waste for planning submissions.
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Part O
Overheating assessments
Simplified method or dynamic modelling to show new homes and other new residential buildings limit overheating in summer.
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Where we work
Daylight and sunlight assessments across England
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Discuss daylight and sunlight assessments
Start with this service and add anything else you need. If you are unsure, say so and we will advise.