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Barking and Dagenham, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Barking and Dagenham

Barking and Dagenham asks for a daylight and sunlight report for major development and for any scheme with potential adverse impact on neighbours, following the BRE guide. The report measures how much natural light your extension or building takes from adjoining windows. We prepare it for Barking and Dagenham homes on a fixed quote after a free constraints check, and tell you first whether the council will ask for one.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on daylight and sunlight reports

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    What the council's validation checklist says

    The current full planning checklist from the council states the rule. It reads in summary: BRE 2022; majors or potential adverse impact. The assessment covers neighbours and also daylight and sunlight inside the proposal, including communal amenity space, and must be by a suitably qualified professional.

    The test the council points to is the BRE guide, BR 209 'Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice', 3rd edition, published June 2022; revised to reflect BS EN 17037:2018; neighbour-impact methodology same as earlier editions; advisory only. That is guidance, not law, and the BRE itself calls it advisory, so the report explains where a result falls short and why it may still be acceptable.

    A report is a validation requirement only if it appears on the council's published local list. We check the list at the date of your application and read the version that applies to your application type.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Local figures for Barking and Dagenham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Daylight/sunlight assessment is required for major development and for other development with potential adverse impact on daylight/sunlight to adjoining properties or buildings. It covers neighbours and daylight/sunlight access (including communal amenity space) within the proposal, must be by a suitably qualified professional and follow BRE 'Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight' (2022).BRE 2022; majors or potential adverse impact—lbbd.gov.uk, LBBD Validation Checklist - Full Planning Permission (February 2026), p.11, 'Daylight / Sunlight Assessment'
    RICS Built Environment Journal article dated 8 May 2024: 'In June 2022, BRE published a third edition'BR 209 'Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice', 3rd edition, published June 2022; revised to reflect BS EN 17037:2018; neighbour-impact methodology same as earlier editions; advisory only—ww3.rics.org
    Merton Council Small Sites Toolkit 01 Design Guidance (SPG), para 6.1.11, PDF p.44: depth and height of a multi-storey rear projection 'should not exceed 45 degrees measured from the centre of the closest ground floor habitable room' of the neighbour45 degrees (plan and elevation)—merton.gov.uk
    NPPF August 2026, policy L2 (PDF p.59) and P3.2.b (PDF p.82)NPPF Aug 2026: L2(ii) development should maintain 'acceptable living standards for residents and neighbours in terms of access to daylight, sunlight, privacy and external amenity space'; P3(2)(b): not give rise to 'an unacceptable level of access to daylight and sunlight for neighbouring residents and occupiers'—gov.uk
    Households living in a house68.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder applications granted66.5 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder decisions388 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas4 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries49 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£109.80/m² (Zone 1: Barking Town Centre, Leftley and Faircross); £39.22/m² (Zone 2: Barking Riverside); £15.69/m² (Zone 3: rest of borough). Schedule rates (2015): £70 / £25 / £10.rate as at 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 (Annual CIL Rate Summary 2026)lbbd.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Barking and Dagenham
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    Where a report is likely in this borough

    Houses make up 68.8 per cent of households. A single-storey rear extension rarely threatens a neighbour's window. A two-storey one, or a roof extension close to a boundary, can.

    The council's Becontree design code, the Becontree Estate SPD and Design Code, adds a character test on top, and the older Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD sets the basic extension rules. Between them they steer how close and how tall an addition may be, which is exactly what a daylight test then measures.

    Heritage is limited here: 4 conservation areas and 49 listed entries, with 3 Article 4 directions. That leaves light and amenity as the more common neighbour concerns.

    The simple screening test before a full report

    London council extension guidance commonly sets a first screen: the depth and height of a multi-storey rear projection should not cross a line at 45 degrees from the centre of the nearest ground-floor habitable room window of the neighbour, in plan and elevation.

    If the extension clears that line, an officer is unlikely to ask for more. If it crosses it, a numerical assessment of vertical sky component and sunlight hours shows whether the change is within the BRE tolerances.

    We run the screening test on every scheme before quoting. For many Barking and Dagenham semi-detached extensions it answers the question on its own, and the free check tells you that before you commit to a full report.

    What the decision figures suggest

    The council decided 388 householder applications in the latest twelve months, granted 66.5 per cent and decided 100 per cent in time. Minor schemes were 169 decisions, with 71 per cent granted.

    That grant rate leaves little margin, so an application that leaves a neighbour's light unexplained is more exposed. A short, factual report removes one reason to refuse.

    The national framework supports that approach. It expects schemes to maintain acceptable living standards for neighbours in access to daylight and sunlight, which is the point the report evidences.

    Daylight and sunlight report in Barking and Dagenham: related work and price

    The report works best alongside the main application. See our planning drawings in Barking and Dagenham and planning consultant service in Barking and Dagenham.

    The borough levy is £109.80/m² (Zone 1: Barking Town Centre, Leftley and Faircross); £39.22/m² (Zone 2: Barking Riverside); £15.69/m² (Zone 3: rest of borough). Schedule rates (2015): £70 / £25 / £10., and it applies to new floor space in a scheme that creates a new home rather than a householder extension.

    We give a fixed quote after the free constraints check, with the price depending on the number of neighbouring windows tested.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Barking and Dagenham

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does Barking and Dagenham require a daylight and sunlight report?

    The council's checklist asks for an assessment for major development and for schemes with potential adverse impact on neighbours. A small single-storey extension usually does not need one.

    What standard does the council use?

    The BRE guide, BR 209 'Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice', 3rd edition, published June 2022; revised to reflect BS EN 17037:2018; neighbour-impact methodology same as earlier editions; advisory only. It is advisory, and a result outside its targets can still be acceptable with explanation.

    What is the 45-degree test?

    A screening line at 45 degrees from the neighbour's nearest ground-floor habitable room window. An extension that stays inside it rarely needs a full report.

    What does a daylight report cost in Barking and Dagenham?

    We give a fixed quote after a free constraints check. It depends on how many neighbouring windows must be tested.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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