Tower Hamlets carries the most distinctive tall building cluster in London outside the City, with Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs generating high-density commercial and residential proposals alongside the wider East End regeneration at Aldgate, Whitechapel, and along the City fringe. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets also reviews a steady caseload of dense Victorian terraced infill, conservation-area work across Spitalfields and Wapping, and replacement housing across Bethnal Green, Limehouse, and Bow. Daylight and sunlight assessments come up regularly across the full mix.
Our team prepares these reports under RICS regulation from our London office at Boundary Row, SE1, with BRE 209 (2022) as the working reference. For larger developments that could affect a neighbour's legal entitlement to light, rights of light assessments sit alongside the planning piece, particularly on the Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs tower schemes. Where the scheme involves building over an existing property, airspace development advice sits alongside the daylight piece.
Using the knowledge we have gained throughout our involvement in projects of differing size and complexities, we are able to apply the criteria within the BRE guidelines and produce comprehensive reports to accompany a planning application.
When assessing daylight and sunlight, we work with a professional team to try and achieve the best outcome for a site, whilst respecting the neighbouring properties’ access to daylight and sunlight. We will also provide advice on how the design of potential residential accommodation can ensure access to good levels of daylight and sunlight.
The work covers the proposed scheme drawings, an initial site appraisal, and a 3D model of the development and the affected neighbouring properties. The BRE 209 analysis then runs Vertical Sky Component for daylight, Annual Probable Sunlight Hours for sunlight, and No Sky Line where room geometry matters to the result for the proposed scheme.
Overshadowing analysis on public realm and amenity space tests the 21 March sun position recommended in the guidance. Sunpath studies cover seasonal access where these add useful evidence, particularly on the Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs tower proposals where cumulative shadow effects matter to the planning conversation. Trees within the impact zone are factored in where they materially affect the outcome.
A typical turnaround is 2 to 3 weeks from instruction. Calls are answered by a qualified surveyor rather than a call centre, and a free initial assessment sets out scope before any fee is committed. This is a bespoke surveying service shaped to each scheme.
I have worked with CHP for a number of years, obtaining advice from them with regard to daylight and sunlight. They provide exactly what our clients require and work closely with us to resolve any issues, should they arise.
- Andrew Ryley , DLBP
A formatted report attached to the planning submission gives the London Borough of Tower Hamlets case officer the technical evidence they need without follow-up requests at validation. Where the figures sit cleanly inside BRE 209 reference values, the planning conversation moves on. Where they sit below, the design rationale, the existing tall building context, and the proportional impact of the new proposal explain why the scheme is still acceptable on balance for the case officer to recommend.
BRE 209 reference values are guidance, not pass or fail. Reports are turned around in 2 to 3 weeks. The practice has been delivering daylight and sunlight reports since 2004, and the free initial assessment is the way in for borderline cases or for early advice on scope.
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
020 3714 4090
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2nd Floor, 10 High Street
Wickford, Essex
SS12 9AZ
020 3714 4090
enquiries@chpsurveyors.com
