Aerospace heritage and business park development define Farnborough's built environment, alongside Edwardian and Victorian railway-era housing in the older residential streets and significant post-war expansion across the wider town. Much of the residential stock and the older commercial buildings carry windows that pass the 20-year easement threshold under the Prescription Act 1832, which means town centre regeneration, business park redevelopment, and mid-rise residential schemes all routinely raise rights of light questions. Rushmoor Borough Council planning consent does not address that legal position.
We act on Farnborough schemes from the Hampshire office, with reach across Aldershot, Camberley, Yateley, and Fleet, supported by colleagues in London and Essex. CHP is RICS regulated and has been advising on rights of light since 2004. The local Hampshire team handles this work faster than London-led practices, with most Farnborough projects requiring daylight and sunlight reports on the same submission.
The surveyor's first job on a Farnborough project is the initial appraisal, identifying which neighbouring windows are likely to carry an acquired right and where the proposed massing creates the most risk. Specialist rights of light software then models the existing and proposed light levels, with results tested against the Equivalent First Zone and the 50/50 rule to quantify any loss. Where modelling shows likely infringement, the cutback analysis works through design variations until the scheme sits within acceptable parameters.
For Farnborough schemes that often means business park redevelopment, mid-rise residential blocks near the town centre, and rooftop conversions where airspace development advice often runs alongside. Calls go through to a qualified surveyor rather than a call centre, and the free initial assessment is offered up front. The local Hampshire team handles negotiations with adjoining owners through to settlement where required.
A good outcome means the Farnborough scheme is viable, the impact on neighbouring windows has been quantified and addressed, and any infringement has been resolved on agreed terms before construction starts. For most local developments, that means a few design adjustments at the planning stage and a negotiated release of rights where any residual impact remains. Court action is rare when the rights of light position is identified and worked through early on the project.
Adjoining owners on Farnborough streets affected by a nearby development can equally instruct us to assess the impact, advise on the strength of their legal position under the acquired easement, and consider Light Obstruction Notices where formal protection of acquired light is the right step. A free initial assessment covers either side of the table and is offered without charge.
