Getting to grips with the daylight requirements in Hinckley and Bosworth is a sensible first step for anyone planning an extension, a new dwelling or a larger scheme in this western Leicestershire borough. Hinckley and Bosworth stretches from the market town of Hinckley and the neighbouring towns of Earl Shilton, Barwell and Burbage out to the rural area around Bosworth Battlefield and the National Forest. Whether a proposal sits in a tightly built town centre or on the edge of a growing settlement, its effect on a neighbour's light, privacy and outlook is regularly one of the decisive issues in the planning decision.
This guide explains how Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council assesses daylight and sunlight, which adopted policies apply, and how a professional daylight and sunlight report can support your application.
The Local Plan in Hinckley and Bosworth
Planning applications in the borough are determined against the adopted Local Plan 2006 to 2026, which is made up of two principal documents:
- The Core Strategy, adopted in 2009, which sets the borough's vision, spatial strategy and broad locations for growth – including the requirement to deliver around 9,000 homes over the plan period.
- The Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD, adopted on 12 July 2016, which allocates specific sites and contains 25 development management policies used to assess applications day to day.
These are applied together with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Council is also undertaking a Local Plan review (the new Local Plan covering the period to the mid-2040s, which has been through Regulation 18 consultation), but at the time of writing the 2009 Core Strategy and 2016 DPD remain the adopted basis for decisions.
Daylight requirements in Hinckley and Bosworth: Policy DM10
The central policy for light and neighbour amenity is Policy DM10: Development and Design in the 2016 Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD. The supporting text is explicit that:
“New development should be located and designed in such a way that the amenity of both existing residents and occupiers are fully considered when assessing planning applications.”
The policy is also clear about its own role: it “does not enforce design codes or prescribe excessive detail but it provides a guide on the key considerations which the Borough Council will take into account when assessing the design of new development.” In other words, DM10 sets the expectation that amenity – which includes daylight, sunlight, privacy and avoiding an overbearing impact – is properly addressed, but it deliberately does not set rigid numerical light targets in the policy itself.
DM10 works alongside the Core Strategy's strategic design and quality objectives, and the Council also uses recognised Building for Life criteria to gauge the quality of new residential schemes. For housing on the edge of the towns – including the Earl Shilton and Barwell sustainable urban extensions brought forward under the area action plan – design and amenity are assessed as part of the same package.
How daylight and sunlight are actually measured
Because Policy DM10 sets out the principle of protecting amenity without prescribing figures, the recognised national methodology is the means by which daylight and sunlight impacts are measured and demonstrated. The two key technical references are:
- BRE BR 209 (2022), Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight: A Guide to Good Practice. This provides the Vertical Sky Component (VSC), No Sky Line / daylight distribution and Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) tests used to assess the effect of a proposal on neighbouring windows, plus guidance on overshadowing of gardens and amenity space.
- BS EN 17037, Daylight in Buildings, the British and European Standard covering the daylight provided inside new rooms and dwellings.
Applying BR 209 lets you show, objectively, that a scheme respects the amenity that DM10 seeks to protect – which is far more persuasive to a case officer than an unsupported assertion that “there is no real loss of light”.
Local factors worth keeping in mind
Two characteristics of the borough often shape daylight and sunlight cases. First, the historic cores of Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Barwell contain closely spaced terraced and back-to-back forms where even modest extensions can readily affect a neighbour's light and privacy, so the design considerations under DM10 are scrutinised carefully. Second, parts of the borough sit within or near the National Forest (engaging Policy DM4) and the sensitive landscape around Bosworth Battlefield, where the design and siting of new buildings – and their relationship to surroundings – carry extra weight. A well-evidenced daylight and sunlight report helps demonstrate that a scheme handles both neighbour amenity and good design responsibly.
How Fortress Associates can help
Fortress Associates provides our daylight and sunlight report service to homeowners, architects and developers across Hinckley and Bosworth and throughout the UK. Every report is prepared to BRE BR 209 (2022) and BS EN 17037, and is written to engage directly with Policy DM10 and the Council's design expectations, so your case is clear from the start. We work to a 4–5 working day turnaround and require no advance payment. See our services or contact us to discuss your project.
If your scheme is nearer the city, you may also find our guide to daylight requirements in Blaby helpful.
Sources & further reading
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