The developers at Convoys Wharf have presented a daylight and sunlight assessment for plot 08, one of the plots granted Reserved Matters Consent in June 2020.

Although the report states: “The results show that 1343 out of the 1553 assessed rooms (87%) meet or exceed BRE’s recommendations for ADF (daylight), 1114 (72%) achieve NSl (sunlight) levels in line with or above guidance”, it follows that 210 and 439 rooms do not meet the required daylight and sunlight standards.

Lack of light and sunlight can lead to Vitamin D deficiency and mental health problems. This cannot be mitigated against by going out on to the balcony in the summer as suggested in the report.

The affected rooms are below the balconies and in the inner corners of the blocks. You can get an idea of the shadow for a certain time in the day and year in the image above. This is a basic design flaw. It arises from the footprint of these large units around a private podium garden and the design of the balconies in the way they extend out from the walls rather than being embedded in the structure. A street based plan is the way to avoid this.

You can read the report here. There is no date set for comments, but the more of us who write to object, the more likely the planners are to listen.