Daylight Sunlight Expert - BRE BR209 & EN17037 Compliant Reports

Planning Reports for Architects, Developers & Homeowners

Planning decisions and neighbour concerns often hinge on light, and our reports provide certainty and clear evidence.

Our Specialist Daylight Services

Neighbour Amenity

Right to Light & Neighbour Amenity

Clear daylight & sunlight review for nearby buildings, aligned with BR209 (2022) guidance.

Planning ready • Neighbour-facing
Policy & Evidence

Planning Impact Assessments (BRE 209)

Clear VSC, NSL & APSH evidence benchmarked to policy for smooth validation and approvals.

LPA-friendly • Residential schemes
Programme

Daylight Strategy & Advisory

Early risk spotting and practical design advice to prevent costly redesign and validation delays.

Early design • Concept to submission
Design Support

Internal Daylight (BS EN 17037)

Proactive, designer-focused input balancing massing, glazing, and amenity throughout the process.

Architect-friendly • Iterative advice
Free Tool

Will your project impact neighbouring daylight?

Get an instant risk assessment based on BR209 principles. Our tool analyses key factors to predict planning challenges.

Instant Assessment

Results in under 3 minutes with clear risk scoring

BR209 Compliant

Based on official BR209 guidance and thresholds

Expert Insights

Tailored recommendations from daylight specialists

No registration required • 2-3 minutes • Instant results

Daylight & Sunlight Knowledge Base

Short, visual, planner-friendly guides to help you submit stronger daylight/sunlight evidence.

Explore Knowledge Base

Checklists • BR209 explainers • Internal daylight refs

Case Studies - Daylight Sunlight Expert | BRE BR209 Project Portfolio

Case Studies & Impact

Real projects, real results – pairing daylight science with planning strategy so schemes stay on track.

Neighbour checks 0 Neighbour windows retained within BRE guidance across recent UK schemes.
New homes 0 New habitable rooms exceeding daylight targets after our design iterations.
Planning packs 0 Daylight & sunlight reporting packs issued for planning and appeals.
Addendums 0 Typical working-day turnaround for focused addendum reruns.
Case study typologies
Daylight and sunlight assessment for The Cart Overthrown, 434 Montagu Road
Heritage redevelopment Enfield

The Cart Overthrown

Daylight & sunlight evidence supporting the sensitive renewal of a former pub along a tightly packed heritage street.

  • Scope: Internal ADF for new apartments & neighbour VSC and APSH impacts.
  • Deliverables: Heritage-friendly daylight report referencing BRE flexibility for dense urban sites.

How we helped

  • Modelled the proposed massing in-context to show retained daylight to adjoining homes.
  • Explained modest shortfalls using BRE's "flexibility in urban situations" guidance.
  • Prepared planning-facing narrative and graphics for the submission package.

Stage: Heritage design review

Gwalia Working Mens Club project
Urban redevelopment Brent, London

Gwalia Working Mens Club

Seventeen homes in a dense context, replacing a two-storey club while keeping neighbours comfortable.

  • Scope: Concept daylight and sunlight review plus neighbour comfort testing.
  • Deliverables: Pre-app briefing note, design workshop materials, scenario modelling.

How we helped

  • Ran side-by-side scenarios during design workshops so the team could make confident massing moves.
  • 97% of assessed neighbour windows remain within BRE daylight guidance.
  • Single-aspect flats improved by repositioning stair cores and enlarging glazing.
  • Issued staged reporting aligned to planning milestones.

Stage: Pre-application workshops

10 Midland Road development
Major residential Luton

10 Midland Road

Five blocks delivering 240 homes next to the station, future-proofed against neighbouring development.

  • Scope: Neighbour VSC, sunlight, and future site envelopes.
  • Deliverables: Comparative massing report, landscape shadow study, LPA-ready appendix.

How we helped

  • Presented comparative diagrams so the planning case officer could support the balanced massing.
  • Verified adjacent plots can still achieve compliant daylight when they come forward.
  • Shadow testing co-ordinated with the landscape team to evidence comfort in amenity courts.

Stage: Masterplanning review

Sunborn Yacht Hotel project
Waterfront realm London

Sunborn Yacht Hotel

Replacement vessel and adjusted mooring, confirming dockside public spaces stay sunlit.

  • Scope: Shadow-path comparisons and terrace analysis.
  • Deliverables: Animated sun-hour plots, harbour authority briefing slides, narrative note.

How we helped

  • Clarified differences between existing and proposed shadows for the harbour authority and planning officers.
  • Animated sun-hour plots for key terraces showing 2+ hours on 21 March.
  • Briefing slides supplied for consultant and client presentations.

Stage: Strategic advisory

Bishops Street daylight addendum
Design addendum Ipswich

Bishops Street

Corner-window sensitivity led to a quick design adjustment backed by a fresh daylight note.

  • Scope: Targeted daylight rerun and addendum letter.
  • Deliverables: Updated calculations, justification letter, glazing tweak recommendations.

How we helped

  • Delivered a refreshed model and narrative within 48 hours to satisfy validation requirements.
  • Confirmed the corner window maintains acceptable daylight post-amendment.
  • Recommended glazing tweaks to future-proof occupier comfort.

Stage: Addendum submission

42 Baring Road extension
Neighbour extension Beaconsfield

42 Baring Road

First-floor extension alongside a neighbour with facing windows needing reassurance.

  • Scope: Small-scale neighbour daylight and sunlight checks.
  • Deliverables: Before/after diagrams, commentary for officers, advice on detailing.

How we helped

  • Provided simple diagrams and commentary so case officers and neighbours could see the impact clearly.
  • Recorded pre- and post-extension daylight levels for four windows.
  • Guided eaves detailing to minimise perceived loss.

Stage: Householder approval

Project highlights
278-280 Church RoadTesting mansard step-backs so the terrace retains compliant VSC and outlook.
306 High Street NorthStress-testing revised facades against the borough daylight SPD before submission.
29 Cloth FairProducing heritage-sensitive visuals for discussions with City of London officers.
96 Bath RoadRe-running sunlight checks after the design team reconfigured the central courtyard.
Chertsey BoulevardBalancing twin block massing so both plots meet BRE guidance and skyline goals.
Tanner StreetAdvising on glazing swaps to lift daylight factors within a tight urban grain.
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