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Barnet, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Barnet

In Barnet, 50.6 per cent of householder appeals decided by the Planning Inspectorate were allowed, which shows officers and inspectors do not always agree. A daylight and sunlight report puts measured evidence behind your side of that argument. We prepare it for Barnet homes on a fixed quote after a free constraints check, and tell you whether the council is likely to ask.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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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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    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    What Barnet's guidance says about neighbours and light

    The council's extension rules sit in the Sustainable Design and Development Guidance SPD, Part 4: Guidance on residential extensions and alterations, with the wider design principles in Sustainable Design and Development Guidance SPD, Part 2: The seven features of good design. Both were reissued recently, so older advice about Barnet depth limits may be out of date.

    The development plan is the Barnet Local Plan 2021-2036. Policies there ask for development that protects the amenity of neighbours, and daylight and sunlight are part of that.

    We have not found a published Barnet validation rule that sets a fixed trigger for a report, so we treat it as a case-by-case question: asked for when a scheme is large, tall or close to a boundary, and offered when it helps your case.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Barnet

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    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
    London Plan 2021, Policy D6 part D (PDF p.140)Policy D6 part D: 'The design of development should provide sufficient daylight and sunlight to new and surrounding housing that is appropriate for its context, whilst avoiding overheating, minimising overshadowing and maximising the usability of outside amenity space'—london.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
    Householder applications granted80.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder decisions1,361 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals allowed50.6 % of householder appeals alloweddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals decided by the Planning Inspectorate413 householder appeals decideddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions15 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries651 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.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 Barnet
    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

    The standard behind any report

    The method is set by 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. The daylight policy in the London Plan asks for sufficient daylight and sunlight for new and surrounding housing, appropriate to context, and the national framework asks for acceptable living standards for neighbours.

    The guide is advisory, and the London guidance itself says flexibility is needed in denser areas. A good report therefore shows the numbers and then explains how they sit against the character of the street.

    For a standard house extension the first test is simple. A line at 45 degrees from the centre of the neighbour's nearest ground-floor habitable room window, in plan and elevation, is a common screen. If your scheme stays inside it, a full report is seldom needed.

    Barnet conditions that raise the stakes

    Barnet is a large borough with a high volume of householder work: 1,361 decisions in the latest twelve months, of which 80.2 per cent were granted and 95.1 per cent decided in time. Minor schemes were 703 decisions, with 67.4 per cent granted.

    The Planning Inspectorate decided 413 householder appeals here in its latest period, allowing 50.6 per cent. A report is cheaper than an appeal, and it gives an inspector the same evidence the officer had.

    Houses make up 52.5 per cent of households and about 28 per cent of the borough is green belt, so many schemes are close-set suburban extensions where a neighbour's window is only a few metres away.

    Practical detail matters in a report. We photograph each neighbouring elevation, record window sizes and positions, and state our assumptions about room use. Where a neighbour has already extended, we test against the building as it stands today, which is how an officer will judge it.

    Constraints that overlap with a daylight question

    Barnet has 15 Article 4 directions across 48 mapped areas, 16 conservation areas and 651 listed entries. Where those apply, heritage and light are often argued together.

    Trees add a different constraint. There are 718 tree preservation orders and 3,219 mapped zones, and a protected tree can limit both the location of an addition and the light a neighbour already receives.

    We map those constraints for your address before pricing, and where trees affect light we say so, since it changes what a fair baseline is.

    Daylight and sunlight report in Barnet: related services and price

    The report supports the main application. See our planning drawings in Barnet, planning appeals support in Barnet and planning consultant service in Barnet.

    The borough levy is £361.44/m² indexed 2026 (schedule rate £300/m², residential incl. C2, C3, C4 and sui generis HMOs), relevant where the scheme creates a new home.

    Our price is a fixed quote after a free constraints check, depending on the number of neighbouring windows and rooms 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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Barnet

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does Barnet require a daylight and sunlight report?

    We have not found a fixed published trigger. It is asked for case by case, usually for larger, taller or boundary-close schemes, and we say whether yours is likely to be one.

    What is the 45-degree rule for extensions?

    A screening line at 45 degrees from the neighbour's nearest ground-floor habitable room window, in plan and elevation.

    How often are Barnet householder appeals allowed?

    50.6 per cent of 413 householder appeals decided in the latest period.

    What does a Barnet daylight report cost?

    We give a fixed quote after a free constraints check. The price 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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