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Redbridge, London

Daylight and sunlight report in Redbridge

Redbridge asks for a daylight and sunlight assessment on major applications, and it expects the applicant to sign a written undertaking to pay for the council's independent review. For a house extension or a small scheme the report is not a validation item, but an officer can still ask for light evidence, and we will tell you in a free constraints check which side of the line you are on.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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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    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    What Redbridge requires, and what it does not

    The council's local requirements list asks for a daylight and sunlight assessment for major applications, prepared to the BRE guide, and the council states the scope as Majors; BRE 2022. For housing, a major application generally means ten homes or more, so most readers of this page will fall below it.

    That does not make the report irrelevant to a house. The list is a validation checklist, which is the minimum for the council to register an application. Beyond it, a case officer who sees a tall flank wall beside a neighbour's kitchen window can ask for evidence during consideration. A modest note from us, using the geometric screen, often answers that request in days.

    The undertaking is the unusual part. On a major scheme you promise to meet the council's costs of independent review, so the applicant pays for a second opinion on the figures. That is a reason to get the first report right.

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

    Local figures for Redbridge

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Daylight and Sunlight Assessment required for all major applications, to BRE Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight (2022), with a written undertaking to meet council costs of independent review.Majors; BRE 2022—redbridge.gov.uk, Redbridge Local and National Planning Application Requirement List (April 2024), p.26
    Households living in a house66.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households57.1 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas16 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries134 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Registered parks and gardens3 registered parks and gardens intersecting the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions991 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted82.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted69.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    RICS Built Environment Journal article dated 8 May 2024: 'In June 2022, BRE published a third edition'BR 209 'Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice', 3rd edition, published June 2022; revised to reflect BS EN 17037:2018; neighbour-impact methodology same as earlier editions; advisory only—ww3.rics.org

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Redbridge
    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

    A suburban borough where houses dominate

    Redbridge is mainly houses: 66.2 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and 57.1 per cent own their home. Streets of semi-detached and terraced homes are typical, and the usual projects are rear and side extensions, loft conversions and garden outbuildings.

    On such streets the issue is almost always one window. A side extension fills the gap between two semis and a single flank window in the neighbouring house loses its outlook. The BRE geometric screen finds that kind of problem quickly, and the fix is often a change of a few centimetres in the roof or the set-back, which is why we run the screen on the model before you commit to the drawings.

    The council's Housing Design Guide SPD is the reference for how extensions should look. Our survey compares the form it supports with the actual windows next door.

    Heritage and the wider constraints

    Redbridge has 16 conservation areas, and Historic England lists 134 entries in the borough, with 3 registered parks and gardens. In a conservation area the council will tend to resist a tall or bulky addition for design reasons, and the daylight evidence supports the same argument from the neighbour's side.

    The council also holds an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation. If you plan to turn a family home into a shared house, the new rooms will be judged on their own light, and our report covers that as well as the neighbours.

    Redbridge decision record

    The council determined 991 householder applications in the latest published year, and granted 82.8 per cent. Of those, 94.7 per cent were decided on time.

    Minor schemes fare less well: of 387 decisions, 69.8 per cent were granted. A scheme that creates several flats or a new house is in that class, and the neighbour's light is a common line of objection. Evidence submitted with the application is better than evidence demanded afterwards. See our planning drawings in Redbridge for how the drawings are prepared from the same model.

    What the report contains

    You receive a written report covering vertical sky component at the neighbours' windows, daylight distribution in the rooms behind them, annual sunlight hours where orientation requires it, and overshadowing of the neighbouring gardens. The model views show the before and after, and the text explains in plain English where the figures fall outside guideline values.

    London policy asks officers to apply the BRE guide with flexibility, and it is advisory. A report that is candid about a modest shortfall, with the context, is more convincing than one that claims no effect. A second chartered technologist, never the model's author, checks the work before it is issued.

    Where a window does badly, we try the practical options on the model and show you each result before you decide.

    Price and how to begin

    There is no list price. The fee is fixed after the free constraints check and depends on how many neighbouring windows sit within range. Send the address and a sketch.

    The daylight and sunlight overview explains the method, and the architectural drawings page for Redbridge lists our other work in the borough. Next door, the rules differ: see Newham and Waltham Forest.

    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 Redbridge

    Daylight and sunlight reports nearby

    Questions

    Does a Redbridge house extension need a daylight report?

    Not as a validation item. The council's list asks for one on major applications. An officer may still ask for light evidence if an extension sits close to a neighbour's window.

    What is the undertaking on costs?

    On a major scheme the applicant signs a written promise to meet the council's costs of an independent review of the daylight and sunlight report.

    What counts as a major application?

    For housing, generally ten or more homes, or a larger site where the number of homes is not yet known. Anything smaller is a minor or householder case.

    Can you run the quick screening test only?

    Yes. For many extensions the geometric screen is enough, and we tell you after the free check whether a full report is worth the cost.

    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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