Newham covers some of the largest active regeneration areas in London, from Stratford and the Olympic Park to the Royal Docks and Canning Town, with Victorian terraces filling Forest Gate, East Ham, and Plaistow. Almost all the older stock carries windows that have received natural light for well over the 20-year easement threshold under the Prescription Act 1832, which means tall building schemes, mid-rise residential blocks, and significant infill all routinely raise rights of light questions. London Borough of Newham planning consent does not address that legal position.
We act on Newham schemes from the London head office, with reach across Stratford, Canning Town, Royal Docks, and East Ham, supported by colleagues in Essex and Hampshire. CHP is RICS regulated and has been advising on rights of light since 2004. The London team handles this work with specialist focus, with most projects also requiring daylight and sunlight reports on the same planning submission.
The starting point on every Newham project is a free initial assessment to identify which neighbouring windows could be affected by the proposed scheme and which carry the 20-year easement. From there, we use specialist rights of light software to model existing and proposed light levels for each affected room, with the results tested against the Equivalent First Zone and the 50/50 rule to quantify any loss in legal terms.
Where the figures show a likely infringement, the cutback analysis tests design variations including reduced height, set-back upper floors, and adjusted fenestration until the scheme sits within acceptable limits. For Newham that typically means Stratford tall building schemes, Royal Docks regeneration blocks, Canning Town mid-rise residential, and rooftop conversions where airspace development advice often runs alongside. The bespoke surveying service means each scope is set against the specific Newham project.
An infringement does not automatically stop a Newham scheme, but it does expose the developer to either an injunction, which can require alteration or in extreme cases demolition of the offending part of the building, or a damages award calculated as a share of the development profit attributable to the lost light. Most matters resolve through negotiation, with a release of rights agreed in return for a settlement payment to the adjoining owner.
Quantifying the position before drawings are signed off gives the design team room to cut back massing, reposition windows, or rework the upper floors at a stage when changes are still affordable. On large Stratford and Royal Docks schemes, those figures can be substantial. A free initial assessment is the fastest way to put a number on the risk.
