020 7864 7245Request a fixed quote

Enfield, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Enfield

A daylight and sunlight report in Enfield measures what your extension or new home takes from the windows and gardens beside it. Enfield publishes no rule on this that we can quote with a value, so we start by reading the current validation list and asking the officer. Homes here are mostly houses with large gardens, so garden sunlight is as likely to matter as window light.

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

    What we can and cannot say about Enfield's requirement

    Our dataset holds no verified Enfield wording for the daylight and sunlight item, so we will not give you a trigger we cannot cite. What we do instead is read the validation list on the day, put the question to the case officer, and record the reply. Where a report is asked for, it follows the BRE guide; where it is not, you will have the officer's reply in writing before you decide.

    That approach avoids the two usual mistakes: commissioning a report the council never wanted, and leaving one out and being asked for it after validation.

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

    Local figures for Enfield

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Article 4 direction areas33 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)21.7 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Households living in a house61.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area37 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas24 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries301 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)72.73 £/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 Enfield
    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

    Gardens: the Enfield difference

    Domestic gardens cover about 21.7% of land in Enfield by the government's land-use survey, and about 61.2% of households live in a house. A new extension, outbuilding or side wall therefore falls mostly on neighbouring gardens, not on a flat window. The guide includes a test for sunlight reaching gardens, which looks at how much of a garden still receives sun on the spring equinox, and we run it whenever a tall boundary wall or a second storey is proposed.

    That is why an Enfield report often includes a shadow diagram for each affected garden, not just a window table.

    Green Belt, conservation and Article 4

    Enfield has 37% of its area in Green Belt, 24 conservation areas, 301 listed entries and 33 Article 4 direction areas. Green Belt restraint usually limits the size of extensions, so the light impact is smaller than the footprint suggests, but the restraint tests are separate and have to be met in their own right. Our architectural drawings in Enfield page sets out how the constraints stack up.

    Where an Article 4 direction removes permitted development, the extension needs a full application, which is the setting where a daylight argument is most useful.

    Householder volumes and timing

    The council decided 934 householder applications in the latest twelve months, granting 83.4% and deciding 92.4% in time. The Mayoral levy for new floor area is £72.73 per square metre at the current indexed rate, which applies to larger schemes. Enfield is a busy borough for extensions, so officers see many similar proposals and look hard at the ones that depart from the pattern.

    How we prepare an Enfield report

    We record the neighbours' windows and garden boundaries on site, model the scheme, apply the simple geometric screen, 45, and then run the full tests only if needed. Our planning drawings in Enfield use the same model, so any design change flows straight into the results.

    The nearby pages for Barnet and Waltham Forest read their lists differently, which matters on a boundary plot.

    Reading a neighbour's objection about light

    The most common light-related objection in a house-extension case is a single sentence from the next-door owner: the new wall will take the sun from the kitchen or the patio. A measured screening result answers that directly. If the extension passes the geometric line and the garden still receives its share of sun, the officer can say so in the report. If it does not, the design can be adjusted before it reaches the committee stage.

    We keep a short note of the neighbour's window positions and garden shape on file for every job, because it is easy to reuse if an objection arrives months later.

    Outbuildings and garden rooms

    Enfield's long gardens attract garden rooms and outbuildings. These are low, but a tall one built near the boundary can shade a neighbouring patio in the afternoon. We include a quick shadow check for such a building on the same model, which is cheaper than a full report and usually enough to show that the effect is small.

    Quote

    We quote a fixed sum after a free look at the address. If the council would not ask, we say so.

    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 Enfield

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does Enfield have a published daylight trigger?

    We hold no verified wording for one, so we check the live list and ask the officer rather than quote an unverified rule.

    Why do gardens matter so much in Enfield?

    A large share of land is domestic garden, so a tall extension or wall most often shades a neighbour's garden. The guide tests that separately from window light.

    Does Green Belt remove the need for a light test?

    No. It limits size, which often reduces impact, but the neighbour's light is still assessed on its own.

    What is the garden test?

    The guide looks at whether enough of a garden receives sun on the spring equinox. We draw the shadow before and after your scheme.

    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