Daylight and Sunlight Assessment

A Daylight and Sunlight Assessment of the impact of a proposed new development is key to delivering high quality developments in increasingly dense urban areas throughout the UK.

A detailed Daylight and Sunlight Assessment helps to ensure that new buildings or developments do not negatively impact neighbouring properties in terms of their access to natural light and daylight.

Daylight and Sunlight Assessment for Planning Applications

A daylight and sunlight assessment service is designed to evaluate the potential impact of a proposed development on the amount of natural light and daylight received by surrounding properties. This assessment is a fundamental part of the planning application process. It aims to strike a balance between urban development and the preservation of quality living conditions for existing residents.

Local planning authorities will typically require a formal Daylight & Sunlight assessment to support a planning application. This will set out the impact to existing neighbours, as well as the quality of light within the proposed dwelling.

Our specialist services and analysis help translate planning requirements into pragmatic design advice. Our 3D model of many UK cities, including London & Birmingham helps us to rapidly undertake analysis. We used this data to calculate the existing context values in the local area for instance. This allows us to adopt alternative target values from those recommended by the BRE, maximising the development potential of a site.

We provide reports with reference to the guidelines published by the BRE, as well as the latest British Standard for Daylighting EN17037.

Key Components of a Daylight and Sunlight Assessment

Site Inspection: Our surveyors conduct on-site visits to understand the existing conditions and surrounding environment. This includes the orientation of neighbouring buildings and their windows.

Daylight Calculations: Using specialist software, we perform detailed calculations to assess the availability of daylight in existing and proposed conditions. We consider factors such as building height, setbacks, and obstructions.

Sunlight Assessments: We analyse how the proposed development cast shadows on neighbouring properties. We assess Sunlight during different times of the day and year taking into account the changing position of the sun.

Report Generation: We generate a comprehensive report summarizing the findings of the assessment. This report includes visual representations and data tables to clearly present the impact on daylight and sunlight.

Recommendations: Based on the assessment, we provide recommendations on design modifications or mitigation measures if the proposed development falls short of daylight and sunlight standards.

Conclusion

A daylight and sunlight assessment plays a vital role in supporting a planning application. It ensures that a proposed developments accords with the BRE guidance.

Contact

For details of our specialist Daylight & Sunlight surveyors near you see our London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Norwich & Plymouth office details.

For further advice on a Daylight and Sunlight Assessment of a proposed developed please call our Enquiry Line on 020 4534 3138.