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City of London, London

Daylight and sunlight report in City of London

In the City of London a daylight and sunlight report is chiefly a major-application document: the planning authority lists a daylight and sunlight impact study for major applications, assessed under the BRE guide. Homes are scarce here, so the report usually protects flats among offices and the historic estates. If you are planning residential or mixed-use work in the Square Mile, we tell you early whether a study is needed.

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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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    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    The City's requirement: an impact study for major applications

    The City Corporation's application requirements name a daylight and sunlight impact study as an item for major applications. It assesses the effect on the surrounding area under the BRE guide (BRE guide; major applications in the table). The wording speaks of the surrounding area, not just the neighbouring plot, which fits a district of tall buildings facing each other across narrow lanes.

    For a smaller project such as a flat refurbishment or a rooftop addition, the item can still be asked about informally. We treat the question as open until we have read the scheme.

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

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Major applications may need a daylight/sunlight impact study assessing the effect on the surrounding area under the BRE guide 'Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight: a Guide to Good Practice'.BRE guide; major applications—cityoflondon.gov.uk, City of London: Planning application requirements, Major applications (page updated 9 June 2025), web page, 'Daylight/Sunlight Impact Study' item
    Listed building entries637 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions1 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Households4,914Census 2021 (21 March 2021)nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households36.5 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions1 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Local planCity of London Local Plan 2015—cityoflondon.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,015—cityoflondon.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 City of London
    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

    A borough with almost no houses

    Only 2% of City households live in a house, and the whole district holds just 4,914 households. Its owner-occupation rate is 36.5%. Householder planning is nearly absent: the latest twelve months record 1 householder decision. That is not a sample from which to predict anything, so the council's own list matters far more than statistics.

    What there is, then, is flats: the Barbican, converted warehouses and a handful of new residential towers. Each has windows that matter to their owners, and a development next door has to be tested against all of them.

    Conservation, listing and the Barbican

    The City packs 28 conservation areas and 637 listed entries into a very small area, and 1 Article 4 direction applies. The management guidance that the planning authority points to for the best-known residential estate is the Barbican Estate Listed Building Management Guidelines: Volume I Introduction and Volume II Residential (SPD). Alterations near it are scrutinised for appearance first and for light second, and the two arguments need to be consistent.

    Our architectural drawings in the City of London page covers the designation picture, and our planning drawings in the City of London page covers the application set.

    How we approach a City project

    We survey the windows of adjoining residential buildings, model the proposed form and its surroundings, and report on the BRE measurements. Where a scheme is tall and dense, the report also records the Mayor of London's position that the guide is applied flexibly in built-up areas, which is relevant in a district like this. The local plan, the City of London Local Plan 2015, was adopted in 2,015, so it is the policy base for the study.

    Neighbouring authorities treat the question differently. Islington, Tower Hamlets and Southwark are the closest.

    Tall neighbours and narrow lanes

    The lanes and courts of the City mean most windows already see a thin slice of sky, so the baseline matters. A report that compares only the proposal with an open site would overstate the harm; one that compares it with the buildings that are actually there gives a fairer picture. We build the surrounding blocks into the model from survey data and public mapping, and say which assumptions came from where.

    That approach also helps when a nearby development has already changed the light: we can show the cumulative effect rather than treating your scheme in isolation, which is how a planning officer will see it.

    Residential schemes in the Square Mile

    New homes are rare here and tend to be conversions of offices or upper-floor additions. For those, the report also looks at the light inside the new rooms, because a deep floorplate with windows on one side can fail the internal test even when the neighbours are untouched. We flag this at the sketch stage so the layout can be changed before the planning drawings are finished.

    Quote

    The scope depends on how many residential windows sit near the site, so we quote after a free look at the address and a short description of the scheme. If the council would not ask for a study, we will say so rather than sell you one.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in City of London

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does the City ask for a daylight report on small alterations?

    Its published item is for major applications. Small works are usually outside it, but an officer may still raise the question, so we check the position first.

    Why are the household figures so low?

    The City is a business district with few homes. That makes each residential window more significant, because there are fewer of them to protect.

    Which guide does the City follow?

    The BRE guide on site layout planning for daylight and sunlight, as its requirements say.

    Does the Barbican need special handling?

    The estate has its own listed-building management guidance. Light impacts near it are assessed alongside its character.

    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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