Brent Cross is one of London's largest active regeneration projects, with significant tall building and mid-rise development alongside it at Colindale and Cricklewood Lane, and Edwardian and Victorian housing extensive across Finchley, Hendon, Mill Hill, and High Barnet. 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 Brent Cross and Colindale tall building schemes, town centre redevelopment, and conversion projects all routinely raise rights of light questions. London Borough of Barnet planning consent does not address that legal position.
We act on Barnet schemes from the London head office, with reach across Finchley, Hendon, Mill Hill, and High Barnet, 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, and where the work overlaps with the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 we run party wall services from the same point of contact.
The starting point on every Barnet 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 Barnet that typically means Brent Cross and Colindale tall building schemes, mid-rise residential blocks across the borough, and conversion projects on Edwardian and Victorian housing. Most projects also call for daylight and sunlight reports on the same planning submission.
Resolving rights of light at the design stage protects the viability of a Barnet scheme, reduces risk on the London Borough of Barnet planning application, and avoids disputes with neighbouring owners once construction starts. Planning consent does not extinguish a legal right to light, so an adjoining owner can still pursue an injunction or damages even after the development has been approved. On the Brent Cross and Colindale tall building schemes, those settlement figures can be substantial. Quantifying the position early lets the design team adjust massing, height, or setbacks before drawings are signed off.
Where settlement is the right outcome, we negotiate a release of rights with the adjoining owner and structure the deal so the development can proceed cleanly. A short free initial assessment covers both developers and adjoining owners affected by nearby Barnet schemes.
