Billericay sits within the Basildon Borough Council area, but its planning character is closer to a conservation-led commuter town than to the new town context further south. Many applications involve replacement dwellings on existing plots, rear extensions on period properties around the High Street and Norsey Road, and small residential infill schemes. These often need a daylight and sunlight assessment where the proposed massing could affect a neighbour's habitable rooms or garden amenity.
Our Essex team covers Billericay, Stock, Ramsden Heath, Mountnessing, and the surrounding area. Site attendance from our Wickford office runs faster than for London-led practices, and we have been preparing daylight and sunlight reports under RICS regulation since 2004. Where works also affect a shared boundary, party wall services sit 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 runs in stages. Initial site appraisal reviews drawings and existing context. A 3D model of the proposed scheme and the affected neighbouring properties is built, then run against the BRE 209 (2022) reference values. Vertical Sky Component covers daylight to windows. Annual Probable Sunlight Hours covers sunlight to habitable rooms with a relevant orientation. Overshadowing analysis covers ground-level amenity where it falls inside the impact zone.
Where trees on the site or on a neighbour's plot affect the result, they go into the model. Sunpath diagrams support cases where seasonal sun access matters. The report sets out the methodology, the figures, and the design context, with any recommendations for redesign clearly flagged.
Reports are turned around in 2 to 3 weeks. A free initial assessment sets out scope and confirms whether a full study is needed 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 case officer the technical evidence they need without follow-up requests. Where the figures sit cleanly inside BRE 209 reference values, the planning conversation moves on. Where they sit below, the design rationale, the context, and the existing site conditions explain why the proposal is still acceptable, and a well-drafted report does much of the heavy lifting on neighbour amenity arguments before they reach the case officer.
BRE 209 reference values are guidance, not pass or fail. Many Billericay schemes secure consent despite shortfalls because the scheme is well argued. Turnaround sits at 2 to 3 weeks. Early input on borderline cases is the work that pays back most reliably, and the free initial assessment is the way in.
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
