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Haringey, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Haringey

Haringey's validation list asks for a daylight and sunlight assessment at a clear threshold: 6 storeys / 18 m; majors. That helps a homeowner, because a house extension sits well below it. The question for most Haringey projects is therefore not whether the list demands a report, but whether the design will upset a neighbour enough to prompt an officer to ask for one anyway.

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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

    Haringey's threshold, read carefully

    The council's current Local Validation List sets the bar at 6 storeys / 18 m; majors, and also covers buildings larger than the Mayoral referral thresholds. The wording also applies to all major new build and tall buildings, and to a major scheme likely to harm habitable rooms or amenity space next door. The test method is the BRE guide by Littlefair, in its latest edition.

    Read closely, every limb of that wording is about scale. A rear extension, a loft or a garden outbuilding does not reach it. If you are adding a single storey to a semi, you will not find your scheme on the list, and a report is not a condition of the application being accepted.

    That is the position on validation. Officers still have discretion once the file is open. If a neighbour objects that the extension takes light from a kitchen window, the officer may ask for evidence, and having it ready avoids a round of requests for more information.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Haringey

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Sunlight/daylight assessment required for buildings of 6 storeys or 18 m and over (or larger than Mayoral referral thresholds), for all major new build and tall buildings, and where a major scheme is likely to harm habitable rooms or amenity space of neighbours; assessed against BRE 'Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight' (Littlefair, 2022).6 storeys / 18 m; majors—haringey.gov.uk, Haringey Local Validation List (planning validation checklist, effective 29 August 2024), pdf p.28, row 'Sunlight/daylight assessment'
    Conservation areas33 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions25 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries289 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house38.9 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households37.2 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Average price, semi-detached1,235,802 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder decisions689 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted90.3 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time94.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted82.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.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 Haringey
    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

    South Tottenham and the house extension guide

    Part of the borough has its own design guide for house extensions. The House extensions in South Tottenham SPD (revised) sets rules for how rear and side additions should sit against their neighbours. Where your street falls inside that area, the guide is the first thing an officer reads, and its geometry usually decides whether a light study is wanted.

    We read the guide against your survey. Rather than sending you a full report, we often produce a short set of sections and plans that show the relevant angle from the nearest neighbouring window. If the extension clears it, that single sheet answers the officer's question, which is cheaper than a full computer study.

    Conservation and Article 4 land

    Haringey has 33 conservation areas and 25 Article 4 directions, and Historic England lists 289 entries in the borough. On Article 4 land, work that would normally be permitted development needs a planning application, and that application is the moment a neighbour can object about light.

    That is how an otherwise small job ends up with a light question attached. A householder who assumed a permitted rear extension needs no paperwork may find the Article 4 direction brings the scheme into the planning system. We check the address against the directions before anything is drawn.

    Figures for householder and minor decisions

    The council made 689 householder decisions in the latest published year and granted 90.3 per cent, with 94.3 per cent decided in time. Minor schemes were granted at 82.2 per cent across 617 decisions.

    The mix of housing explains some of the variety. 38.9 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and 37.2 per cent own their home, so the borough has both family streets and dense flatted areas. A semi-detached house averaged £1,235,802, which is a lot to defend against an objection.

    Putting the study together with the rest of the application

    Where a report is warranted, it goes in beside the plans we prepare. Our planning drawings in Haringey come from the same 3D model, so the light analysis uses the same geometry as the drawings. A scheme that grows into a larger project can then be tested again without re-surveying.

    For the national background, read the guide to daylight and sunlight reports, and for a borough-wide view see architectural drawings in Haringey. If you are weighing a similar project over the boundary, compare the list for Hackney or Camden.

    Price

    The cost depends on how many neighbouring windows are tested, so we quote after a free check of the site and hold that figure once it is agreed.

    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 Haringey

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does a Haringey house extension need a daylight and sunlight report?

    Not to validate it. The council's list sets the threshold at 6 storeys / 18 m; majors, which a house extension does not reach, though an officer can still ask for evidence.

    Which BRE guide does Haringey cite?

    The list refers to the Littlefair guide, Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight, in its latest edition.

    What is the South Tottenham guide?

    It is the council's House extensions in South Tottenham SPD (revised), a design document for rear and side additions in that part of the borough.

    Can Article 4 directions bring a small job into planning?

    Yes. The borough has 25 directions, and inside one, work that would otherwise be permitted development needs an application.

    Sources and dates

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    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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