020 7864 7245Request a fixed quote

Croydon, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Croydon

Croydon's local validation list asks for a daylight and sunlight assessment on major applications, measured to the BRE's most up-to-date guidance, with the results tables supplied in an editable digital format. Most house extensions in Croydon never reach that threshold, but a neighbour's complaint can still bring the question in. We check the list against your plot and tell you whether a report is required, useful or unnecessary.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

Request a fixed quote

We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
Add photos or drawings

Drop files here or choose from your device

PDF, JPG, PNG, DWG · up to 10 files, 90 MB in total

    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.

    Request a fixed quote
    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Croydon's list: current BRE guidance and editable tables

    The council's most recent validation list puts the daylight and sunlight assessment in the category of major applications (Majors; latest BRE guidance in the table). Two details set it apart. The assessment has to use the BRE's latest guidance, so an out-of-date edition in a consultant's template is a reason for the case officer to send the pack back. And the tables must be provided in a format the officer can edit, which in practice means a spreadsheet rather than a locked PDF.

    We supply both as a matter of routine: the report as a document, and every table as a spreadsheet so the officer can sort, filter and re-check the figures without retyping them.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for Croydon

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Daylight/sunlight assessment required for Majors, to the BRE's most up-to-date guidance: impact on adjoining properties including gardens/amenity space, and acceptable internal daylight for new homes; tables supplied in editable digital format.Majors; latest BRE guidance—croydon.gov.uk, Croydon Local Validation List (May 2026), PDF p.23 (printed 21), 'Daylight / sunlight assessment'
    Local planCroydon Local Plan 2018—croydon.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentConservation Areas General Guidance SPD—croydon.gov.uk
    Conservation areas19 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries180 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area25 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house60.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder applications granted86.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)30.3 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.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 Croydon
    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

    What the council expects to see for new homes

    The list's wording covers the effect on adjoining properties, including gardens and amenity space, and the level of daylight inside the new homes. That is a two-way test. A scheme can leave its neighbours alone and still fail inside, for example when a deep, single-aspect flat gets its only window on a tight lightwell. We run both and report them separately so that a pass on one is not hidden by a failure on the other.

    Croydon also has the Croydon Local Plan 2018, adopted in 2,018, as its policy base. Its age matters, because it predates the latest London guidance, and a good report notes where the two overlap.

    Croydon's housing mix and what it means for neighbours' windows

    About 60.2% of Croydon households live in a house and 54.7% own their home. That is a mixed borough: suburban terraces and semis in the south, flatted blocks nearer the centre. The householder caseload is large, with 786 decisions in the latest twelve months, 86.6% of them granted and 94.4% decided on time.

    A rear extension in the suburbs usually faces a garden and a rear window. A flat conversion nearer the centre usually faces other flats. We treat them as different problems and model each accordingly.

    Heritage, Green Belt and Article 4 in Croydon

    The borough has 19 conservation areas, 180 listed entries, and 25% of its area is Green Belt. It also has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, which affects conversions that add occupants and so windows and rooms. The council's Conservation Areas General Guidance SPD is the document that governs alterations inside conservation areas, and a daylight argument has to fit within it.

    Larger schemes pay infrastructure levy to the Mayor too: the indexed rate in Croydon is £30.3 per square metre, which is worth knowing when a scheme adds floor area. Our architectural drawings in Croydon page sets out the other designations.

    How we prepare a Croydon report

    We start with the survey of neighbouring windows and the design model, then apply the geometric screen, 45, before any heavy calculation. If a scheme passes that screen and sits below the major threshold, the likeliest outcome is that no report is required and we say so in writing. If not, we build the full report to the current BRE edition.

    For the design side, see our planning drawings in Croydon. Croydon borders Bromley and Sutton, each with its own wording, which matters for plots near a boundary.

    Why editable tables help a Croydon officer

    A planning officer checking a daylight report wants to sort the windows by result, pull out the worst few and compare them with the proposal's drawings. A table locked inside a PDF makes that slow. When the figures arrive as a spreadsheet, the officer can do it in a minute, and that short job tends to move the conversation from the numbers to the judgement, which is where a good scheme wants it.

    Quote

    There is no list price. The number of windows decides the effort, so we quote a fixed sum after a free look at your address and a sketch of the proposal.

    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.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Croydon

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does Croydon require editable tables?

    Its local validation list asks for the tables in an editable digital format. We provide every table as a spreadsheet alongside the report.

    Is the report only for major applications in Croydon?

    That is the list's trigger. A smaller scheme can still prompt a request if an officer sees a likely effect on a neighbour's room.

    Which BRE edition applies?

    Croydon asks for the most up-to-date guidance, which is the third edition of the BRE guide. We confirm that in the report's method section.

    Does an HMO conversion need a daylight report?

    Not on its own. The Article 4 direction removes permitted development for the change, and light is considered as part of the application's wider merits.

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7864 7245WhatsApp