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Hillingdon, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Hillingdon

Hillingdon's validation checklist tells applicants that the daylight and sunlight assessment must follow the BRE guide, and it cites the guide as BRE (list cites 2011 edition). That reference is older than the guide now in print, which creates a small trap for anyone who commissions a study without reading the list first.

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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

    What the February checklist actually requires

    The Local Planning Validation Checklist asks for more than a note about the neighbours. The assessment must cover the impact on existing properties and on sites with extant permissions, report the final values within the proposed scheme, and consider any proposed on-site amenity and recreation areas. That is three jobs: harm outward, quality inward, and light to outdoor space.

    The wording reads like major-scheme language, and for a small house extension a full study is rarely the first step. But the checklist sets out the content the council expects whenever a report is submitted, so a short, informal letter will not satisfy it. If the officer asks for a report, it should be a proper one.

    We scope the work to match. For a householder project we normally begin with the geometric screens, and move to a full model only when the screens fail or an objector has made light a live issue.

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

    Local figures for Hillingdon

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Daylight/sunlight assessment must follow the BRE guide (the list cites the 2011 edition), cover impacts on existing properties and sites with extant permissions, the final values within the proposed scheme, and any proposed on-site amenity and recreation areas.BRE (list cites 2011 edition)—hillingdon.gov.uk, Hillingdon Local Planning Validation Checklist (February 2024), pdf pp.31-32, row 'Daylight/sunlight assessment'
    Article 4 directions150 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas33 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries436 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders731 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area42 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house68.9 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions1,147 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted90.2 %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 granted68.7 %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 Hillingdon
    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

    The older edition problem

    The list refers to an earlier edition of the BRE guide, and a newer edition has been published since. A report prepared to one edition without mentioning the other invites a query from the case officer.

    Our approach is to state both the edition the council cites and the one we used. A case officer then sees that the method meets the checklist while the report reflects current guidance. Submitting only one or the other leaves an avoidable question open.

    Article 4, trees and the shape of the plot

    Hillingdon has 150 Article 4 directions, 33 conservation areas and 731 tree preservation orders. A preserved tree beside the boundary is both a constraint on the building and a source of existing shade, so the baseline against which a neighbour's light is measured can already be low. We record the trees in the survey.

    About 42 per cent of the borough is Green Belt, which often caps the size of an addition. Where the footprint is capped, the height tends to rise instead, and that is what the light study tests. Historic England lists 436 entries in the borough, including 9 at Grade I.

    Housing, prices and the stakes of an objection

    68.9 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow and 56.6 per cent own their home, so most applications are householder cases between owner-occupiers. A semi-detached house averaged £583,573 in the latest figures, so a neighbour has reason to defend its value.

    In that setting a prepared study turns a disagreement between neighbours into a question of measured figures. It does not remove objections, but the officer can weigh them against numbers.

    Decision figures for the borough

    Hillingdon decided 1,147 householder applications in the latest published year, and granted 90.2 per cent. 94.3 per cent were decided in time. Minor schemes were granted at 68.7 per cent from 367 decisions.

    These are averages across every householder project, not a forecast for your address.

    Choosing between a short test and a full study

    Because the council's list describes the content of a full assessment, we separate the two routes clearly in our advice. The short route is a geometric sheet that shows the angle from the nearest window. The full route is a computer model of every affected window and room, with the BRE measures reported before and after. We recommend the short route first on most householder jobs and move to the full route only when a result is marginal or a neighbour has formally objected.

    Related pages

    Read the general guide to daylight and sunlight reports for the tests in plain English, and see planning drawings in Hillingdon for the drawings that accompany it. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Hillingdon. Near the edge of the borough, compare Ealing and Hounslow.

    The fee is fixed after a free look at your site.

    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 Hillingdon

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Which BRE edition does Hillingdon cite?

    Its checklist records the reference as BRE (list cites 2011 edition). We state both that edition and the current one in the report.

    What must a Hillingdon study cover?

    Existing properties and sites with extant permissions, the final values within the proposed scheme, and any proposed on-site amenity and recreation areas.

    Do preserved trees affect the result?

    They can lower the baseline light. The borough has 731 tree preservation orders, so we record nearby trees in the survey.

    Is Green Belt relevant?

    About 42 per cent of the borough is Green Belt, which can limit footprint and push a design upward.

    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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