New BRE Guidelines on Daylight & Sunlight 2022

New BRE Guidelines Daylight and Sunlight

The New BRE Guidelines on Daylight and Sunlight 2022 have been published this week.

The new publication ‘Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice’ (BR209 2022) is the 3rd revision published by the BRE, replacing the previous edition issued in 2011.

The new BRE guidelines for Daylight & Sunlight 2022 have been amended to incorporate updates from the British Standard for Daylighting in Buildings (BS EN17037) issued in June 2019. The BRE guidelines are widely relied on by planning authorities when assessing proposed new developments for Daylight and Sunlight.

The new guidance recommends the assessment of natural light conditions for all residential planning applications with a fundamentally different approach. It also introduces a requirement to assess other non-residential uses for the first time.

New BRE Daylight & Sunlight Guidelines - Key Observations

The guidance for considering the effect on neighbouring properties and open spaces remains consistent with the previous version of the BRE Report.

The previous version of the BRE Guide discussed daylight and sunlight within homes, schools, hotels and hospitals but did not apply guidance to workspace. The updated guidance applies to the above uses and additionally provides guidance for workshops and some offices.

The adoption of BS EN 17037 changes the tests to be applied when assessing the adequacy of natural light within proposed accommodation.

The previous daylight tests of Average Daylight Factor (ADF) and Daylight Distribution (DD)/No-Sky Line for assessing the adequacy of daylight within proposed accommodation are superseded.

Daylight in proposed accommodation is to be assessed with reference to the area of the room achieving target daylight factors. An alternative test using target illuminance (lux) value is also provided. Both of these assessments take account of internally and externally reflected natural light as part of the calculation. The target illuminance assessment also introduces time criterion.     

The previous sunlight test of Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) for assessing the adequacy of sunlight within proposed accommodation is superseded.

Sunlight in proposed accommodation is now to be tested on any date between February 1st and March 21st, with minimum (1.5 hours), medium (3 hours) and high (4 hours) levels of sunlight determined. The criterion applies to rooms of all orientations, although the guidance acknowledges that if a room faces significantly north of due east or west it is unlikely to be met.

Further assessments for View and Glare are introduced

New BRE Guidelines on Daylight & Sunlight introduce New Approach

The updated methods of considering the adequacy of natural light within proposed accommodation are significantly different from the assessment approaches that the development and planning world are familiar with. In many respects, the updated guidance marks a move away from simplistic calculation. It responds to the more sophisticated methods of analysing light now possible by advancements in software technology.

We provided input to the new BRE guidelines on Daylight & Sunlight whilst it was in draft consultation phase. In addition we have been working with our software partners since the introduction of the British Standard in June 2019. We have incorporated the revised methods of assessments have into our analysis of schemes. We have been including a reference to them in our reports on projects for some time. The new BRE Guidelines on Daylight and Sunlight are available from the BRE Bookshop.

Local planning authorities, developers, architects and planning consultants will need to familiarise themselves with this fundamental shift in approach to ensure that the design of proposed schemes and the determination of planning applications apply the updated guidance correctly.

We are expert in undertaking the revised calculations and understanding their implications for proposed developments.

Please get in touch if you would like further advice or to arrange a CPD session with our team.

If your proposed scheme is in Birmingham, see our recent article on the adoption of Daylight and Sunlight Assessments by the City. Also see our previous articles on a misleading Daylight & Sunlight report and why a daylight error was fatal for planning. Both articles underline the need for accuracy when undertaking Daylight & Sunlight Assessments.

Check out our blog on New European Standard for Daylighting for more updates.

See our new artcile on the recent submission of plans for 85 Gracechurch Street.