Please note, this document was reissued in October 2023 as a professional standard. It was previously published in October 2012 as a professional statement. The regulatory requirements remain the same. Learn more about document types.
This professional standard is about daylight, sunlight and shading and, to a lesser extent, how it is dealt with in the design, planning, and environmental impact assessment of developments. It also relates to the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) guidance Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight 2011, which sets out the standards and methods of calculation most usually relied upon by local authorities when assessing planning applications.
The 2011 BRE guidance has been superseded by BRE's Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice (BR 209 2022). BRE Group and RICS are working on a 2nd edition daylight standard which is expected around the end of 2026. In the meantime RICS members are advised to use the BRE 209 2022 guide alongside the existing edition of Daylighting and sunlighting, which can be found below.
Surveyors advising on daylight and sunlight need to ensure they are familiar with the BRE 209 2022 document and with the planning policy of local authorities to whom reports are to be submitted.
Published date: 03 October 2023