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Havering, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Havering

Havering is unusual among London boroughs: the daylight and sunlight line sits on its householder application checklist, not only on the major-schemes list. If your extension could harm a neighbour's light, including light to their garden, the council expects an assessment that follows the BRE guide, which the checklist cites as BR 209 (2022).

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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

    A householder checklist that names the report

    Most councils keep daylight reports for big developments. Havering's Planning Application Checklist for householder applications includes a row for a daylight and sunlight assessment, where there is potential adverse impact on neighbours' daylight or sunlight, including gardens or amenity space. The checklist is undated, so check the council's website for the version in force when you apply.

    That changes the advice for a typical Havering homeowner. A two-storey rear extension on a semi is not obviously harmful, yet the checklist leaves the decision to whether harm is possible, and officers can reasonably read a tall flank wall beside a neighbour's patio as meeting that bar. We therefore test every scheme of this kind before the plans are fixed.

    The reference to gardens is worth noticing. Light to a rear garden or terrace counts alongside light to windows, so overshadowing of a seating area can matter even when every window passes.

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

    Local figures for Havering

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Daylight/sunlight assessment required where there is potential adverse impact on neighbours' daylight/sunlight, including gardens or amenity space; to follow BRE 'Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight' BR 209, 2022 edition.BR 209 (2022)—havering.gov.uk, Havering Planning Application Checklist, Householder Applications (undated), pdf p.11, row 'Daylight/Sunlight Assessment'
    Conservation areas11 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries146 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area53 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house76.7 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households69.5 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions985 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted85.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time97.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted64.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,021—havering.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 Havering
    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

    Edition of the guide the council points to

    The checklist asks for the study to follow the BRE guide, Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight, naming the edition the council has in mind. Where a report was prepared to an older edition the officer may query it, so we state the edition we used on the first page.

    Long gardens, large houses and Green Belt

    76.7 per cent of Havering households live in a house or bungalow, and 69.5 per cent own their home. Plots tend to be generous, and about 53 per cent of the borough is Green Belt, where limits on the size of additions often decide the footprint first.

    Generous plots help light, but they also encourage ambitious schemes. A wraparound extension or an additional storey on a bungalow can climb well above the neighbours, and the shadow on a narrow side passage or conservatory is the usual source of complaint. Our early model shows the effect on those spaces before you reach the detailed design.

    Heritage and the council's design guidance

    The borough has 11 conservation areas and 146 Historic England list entries. The council publishes two documents that bear on the design of an extension: the Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD and the Heritage SPD. Both sit under the Havering Local Plan 2016-2031, adopted in 2,021.

    Where a historic setting asks for a lower eaves line or a hipped roof, those choices usually help the neighbour's light as well. We show the gain in the report, which turns a heritage constraint into a point in your favour.

    How quickly Havering decides

    Havering decided 985 householder applications in the latest published year, granting 85.9 per cent, and decided 97.8 per cent in time. The minor-scheme grant rate was lower at 64.4 per cent across 306 decisions.

    The pace is good, so a late request for a light study is a more costly interruption than elsewhere. Supplying it up front keeps the file moving.

    Talking to neighbours first

    A short conversation with the neighbour before you apply often prevents a formal objection. We can prepare a one-page sketch showing where the new wall will sit relative to their windows and garden, and the shadow it casts at a typical time of year. Showing the figures early tends to settle worries that a bare set of plans leaves open, and it gives you a record of what was shared if the council later asks.

    Where to read more

    Our general page on daylight and sunlight reports explains the tests, and planning drawings in Havering covers the drawings that go with them. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Havering. Close to the borders, Redbridge and Thurrock have their own rules.

    Fees are fixed once agreed, after we have looked at the address for free.

    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 Havering

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does Havering ask for daylight reports on householder applications?

    Its householder checklist includes the item where there is potential adverse impact on neighbours' daylight or sunlight, including gardens. The edition cited is BR 209 (2022).

    Does the report cover gardens?

    The checklist mentions gardens and amenity space, so we test overshadowing of the main rear garden as well as the windows.

    Does Green Belt matter for light?

    It limits the size of additions on about 53 per cent of the borough, which can fix the building form before light is considered.

    Which guidance sits behind Havering extensions?

    The Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD and the Heritage SPD, under the Havering Local Plan 2016-2031.

    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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