If you are planning an extension, a new home or a larger development on the Leicester fringe, understanding the daylight requirements in Blaby early can save time, cost and frustration. Blaby District wraps around the south-western edge of the city of Leicester and takes in busy, closely developed settlements such as Blaby, Narborough, Enderby, Glenfield, Cosby and Kirby Muxloe, as well as the major retail destination of Fosse Park. In built-up areas like these, the impact of a proposal on a neighbour's light, privacy and outlook is frequently the deciding factor in whether planning permission is granted.
This guide sets out how Blaby District Council assesses daylight and sunlight, which adopted policies apply, and how a professional daylight and sunlight report can strengthen your application.
The development plan in Blaby District
Blaby District has a two-part adopted Local Plan:
- The Blaby District Local Plan (Core Strategy), adopted February 2013, which sets out the vision, strategic objectives and core policies for the district, including the strategy for growth around Leicester and the role of areas such as Fosse Park.
- The Blaby District Local Plan (Delivery) Development Plan Document, adopted February 2019, which contains the site allocations and the day-to-day development management policies used to assess individual applications.
These documents are read together with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Council is also progressing a new Local Plan, but at the time of writing the 2013 Core Strategy and 2019 Delivery DPD remain the adopted basis for decisions.
Daylight requirements in Blaby: the key policies
Policy DM1 – Design and Amenity
The single most important policy for light and neighbour amenity in Blaby is Policy DM1 (Design and Amenity) of the 2019 Delivery DPD. Within settlement boundaries, DM1 supports development that provides a satisfactory relationship with nearby uses and is not significantly detrimental to the amenities of existing or new occupiers. The policy expressly lists the considerations to be weighed, including:
- privacy (overlooking between properties);
- light (loss of daylight and sunlight);
- noise and disturbance; and
- overbearing effect (a dominant or enclosing impact on a neighbour).
DM1 also requires development to be in keeping with the character and appearance of the area and to have a satisfactory layout, design and external appearance. In practice this means a Blaby planning officer will look closely at how close a new building or extension sits to neighbouring windows and gardens, and whether it would noticeably reduce the light those neighbours currently enjoy.
Core Strategy design policies
Policy DM1 does not work in isolation. Strategic design and place-making expectations in the 2013 Core Strategy – including Policy CS2, which sets out design and sustainability principles for new development – apply alongside it, and heritage matters are addressed through Policy CS20 (Core Strategy) and Policy DM12 (Delivery DPD). For a daylight-sensitive scheme, the combined effect is that good light to neighbours is treated as part of good design, not an afterthought.
How daylight and sunlight are actually measured
Blaby District Council does not publish its own numerical daylight or sunlight thresholds or a bespoke householder design SPD with light targets. Instead, the recognised national methodology applies through Policy DM1, the Core Strategy and the NPPF. The two technical references applicants and officers rely on are:
- BRE BR 209 (2022), Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight: A Guide to Good Practice. This sets out the Vertical Sky Component (VSC), No Sky Line / daylight distribution and Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) tests used to measure the impact of a proposal on neighbouring windows, together with guidance on overshadowing of gardens and amenity areas.
- BS EN 17037, Daylight in Buildings, the British and European Standard that addresses the level of daylight provided within new rooms and dwellings.
Because DM1 uses the language of “light” and “overbearing effect” without prescribing figures, a BR 209 assessment is the most reliable way to demonstrate, in objective terms, that a scheme respects neighbours' daylight and sunlight.
Local factors worth bearing in mind
Two characteristics of the district shape how daylight issues arise in practice. First, Blaby's growth is concentrated in the tightly knit settlements ringing Leicester, where back-to-back gardens and short separation distances make overlooking and loss of light common grounds of objection – exactly the matters DM1 is designed to control. Second, the presence of large mixed-use and retail areas such as Fosse Park means that taller commercial and residential schemes can sit near existing homes, raising overshadowing and outlook questions that benefit from a properly modelled BR 209 study rather than a simple sketch.
How Fortress Associates can help
Fortress Associates provides our daylight and sunlight report service to homeowners, architects and developers throughout Blaby District and across the UK. Each report is prepared to BRE BR 209 (2022) and BS EN 17037, and is written to address the Council's Policy DM1 and Core Strategy design policies directly, so your planning case is clear from the outset. We work to a 4–5 working day turnaround and require no advance payment. Explore our services or contact us to get started.
If your project is in a neighbouring authority, our guide to daylight requirements in Oadby and Wigston covers the borough immediately to the east.
Sources & further reading
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