We carry out Daylight and Sunlight Assessments of proposed development schemes, to prepare reports to provide to Local Authorities, day in, day out. However, we sometimes come across simple oversights in design that can have a significant bearing upon whether the proposed new accommodation will be capable of receiving good levels of daylight and sunlight. [...]
Increasing number of planning applications refused We have seen an increase in the number of planning applications where Local Authorities have refused planning permission for a proposed development, on the grounds that it would supposedly be overbearing and cause an adverse impact on the light receivable to neighbouring properties. Such schemes have been a mixture [...]
“Value Engineering” – a term often thrown around when people are trying to save money on a scheme. How can build costs be reduced? Well one scenario we have come across on several occasions now is where a developer/contractor seeks to save money on site preparation. Either they decide to not reduce ground levels by [...]
Can a dormer window cause a Legal Right to Light problem for my neighbour? Absolutely, in certain situations, most commonly when neighbours have windows over 20 years of age. When we consider small dormer windows that penetrate from the front or rear roof slope of a main house roof, the windows in the main vertical [...]
We have written before on the right to light risks associated with ‘side extensions’, as that is by far the most common residential situation where we find people get caught out with right to light matters. However, the next most common residential development that we find causes homeowners difficulties, are those relating to the development [...]
We often get asked to prepare reports to quantify the amount of daylight and sunlight a property will have access to once it has been built. This is to satisfy a Local Authority that good design principles have been adopted, to ensure the amenity of the newly built houses will be considered for future occupiers. [...]
Over the last twelve months, we have seen an increase in enquiries from self-builders and small to medium-sized property developers who are buying plots of land upon which they intend to build. At the smaller end of the scale, this is typically a self-builder looking to build a new house for either resale or to [...]
Normal right of light threshold… Past case law currently says that, in a standard situation, a room will be deemed to have suffered a legal right of light injury if it has some loss of adequately lit room area and, after this loss of light, less than about half of the room remains adequately lit [...]
When applying for planning permission for your home, it may be denied on the grounds of non-compliance with the 45-degree and 25-degree rules of thumb in the BRE Guide. Find the information you need regarding the angle rules here, and contact our expert team for further advice and guidance. Applicability And Relevance of the 45-Degree [...]
The reality of a situation We were recently involved in a claim where we were asked to act for a potential defendant, who was an Architect, in relation to a claim against him; this was not a right of light matter but the lessons from this are absolutely applicable to rights of light. We did [...]
