This guide gives advice on site layout planning to achieve good sunlighting and daylighting, both within buildings and in the open spaces between them. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the interior daylight recommendations for new buildings in the British Standard Daylight in buildings, BS EN 17037. It contains guidance on site layout to provide good natural lighting within a new development; safeguarding of daylight and sunlight within existing buildings nearby; and the protection of daylighting of adjoining land for future development. A special section deals with loss of solar radiation for solar panels and for passive solar buildings that use the sun as a source of heating energy. Guidance is also given on the sunlighting of gardens and amenity areas. Issues like privacy, enclosure, microclimate, road layout, and security are briefly reviewed. The appendices contain methods to quantify access to sunlight and daylight within a layout.

This report is a comprehensive revision of the 2011 edition of Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice. It is purely advisory and the numerical target values within it may be varied to meet the needs of the development and its location. Appendix F explains how this can be done in a logical way, while retaining consistency with the British Standard recommendations on interior daylighting.

The 1991 edition of BR209 can be obtained here.

The 2011 edition of BR209 can be obtained here.