Daylight and Sunlight Assessment Bristol

At Anstey Horne, we provide expert Daylight & Sunlight Assessments in Bristol, supporting architects, developers, and planning consultants in navigating complex planning policies and delivering light-compliant schemes across the South West.

With deep knowledge of local constraints—including conservation areas, topography, and heritage settings—we ensure your proposals meet all relevant daylight and sunlight standards while maximising development potential.

What Is a Daylight & Sunlight Assessment?

A Daylight and Sunlight Assessment measures the impact of a new development on the availability of natural light for existing and proposed buildings. It is a critical part of the planning process and often a formal requirement for developments near neighbouring homes, public amenity areas, or sensitive sites.

Our assessments comply with the latest BRE Guide: Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight – A Guide to Good Practice (BR209, 2022), alongside local planning guidance issued by Bristol City Council.

Why Is a Daylight and Sunlight Assessment Important in Bristol?

Bristol’s distinctive urban character—ranging from Georgian terraces in Clifton to modern developments around Temple Meads and harbourside—creates diverse daylighting challenges. With many sites tightly constrained or on sloping ground, detailed technical analysis is often required.

Our Daylight and Sunlight Assessment Bristol service helps you:

Meet local and national planning requirements
Avoid objections related to loss of light or overshadowing
Support your planning application with credible technical evidence
Resolve issues raised by case officers, neighbours, or design review panels
Mitigate risk of planning refusal or legal challenge

What Does Our Assessment Include?

Our reports are tailored to your scheme and planning requirements, typically covering:

Vertical Sky Component (VSC) – Measures daylight reaching neighbouring windows

No Sky Line (NSL) – Assesses daylight distribution inside affected rooms

Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) – Measures sunlight availability across the year

Overshadowing Analysis – Reviews sunlight loss to gardens, amenity spaces, or roof terraces

Solar Panel Impact Analysis – Ensures compliance with renewable energy strategies

All modelling is completed using industry-approved software and fully documented to planning submission standards.

Who Needs a Daylight & Sunlight Assessment in Bristol?

You may need a Daylight & Sunlight Assessment if:

Your development is close to residential properties or other buildings with windows
You're proposing infill, rooftop extensions, or increased building height
You're submitting a planning application in a conservation area or near listed buildings
The Council or a design officer has requested an assessment during pre-app or consultation

Why Choose Anstey Horne?

Anstey Horne is one of the UK’s most experienced and respected consultancies in daylight, sunlight, and rights to light. With a local team covering the South West, we provide:

BRE and BS EN 17037 compliant assessments
Deep knowledge of Bristol’s local context and planning policy
Fast, clear, and commercially minded advice
Support with appeals and design revisions
High-quality visual outputs and 3D modelling

Bristol Projects We’ve Worked On

Our recent work in the region includes:

Mixed-use regeneration around Temple Quarter and Redcliffe
Residential schemes in Bishopston, Bedminster, and Totterdown
Conservation-sensitive developments in Clifton and Hotwells
Student accommodation and co-living schemes in central Bristol
Strategic urban extensions and brownfield sites across the wider Avon area

Contact

For Daylight & Sunlight advice direct from one of our Bristol surveyors, please call our Enquiry line in 0117 471 1574. For more information on this service see the collection of articles on our blog page.

We cover all urban areas in the South West. We have live Daylight & Sunlight projects in Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Exeter, and Cheltenham.

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