Report Deep Dives – Page 10

30 September 2026Read article →

The no-sky line in a daylight and sunlight assessment

Daylight distribution measures how much of a room keeps a view of sky after a neighbouring development. Here is how the no-sky line is plotted, reported and read against the 0.8 ratio.

30 September 2026Read article →

The criteria section of an overheating risk assessment

Criteria selection decides an overheating assessment before any simulation runs. How the CIBSE method and Approved Document O differ, and what to record.

The supply chapter of an Employment Land Assessment

The supply chapter decides whether a designated employment site can be released. Here is what it must establish, how marketing evidence is judged, and how councils test the conclusion.

Evidence for protected characteristics in an EqIA

The duty under section 149 belongs to the council, and the assessment exists to evidence it. Here is how to screen characteristics, source baseline data and secure mitigation.

Environmental zones and obtrusive light limits explained

Sky glow, light intrusion and luminaire intensity limits all follow from the environmental zone. Here is how the zone is justified and what the assessment must show.

Condition grading and defect schedules in a structural survey

Condition grading and the defect schedule decide whether a structural survey supports repair, partial retention or demolition. Here is how to build both so they stand up to scrutiny.

Photomontage methodology in a landscape and visual assessment

Verified views are evidence, not illustration. The survey control, camera specification and registration method decide whether an inspector can rely on them.

Shadow plots and dates in an Overshadowing Study

Shadow plots look simple and are easy to mislead with. The dates chosen, the times shown and what was modelled decide whether the drawings answer the question.

Occupancy profiles in an Overheating Risk Assessment

A dynamic overheating model is driven by its profiles. Bedroom occupancy, equipment gains and night-time window opening change the result more than the glazing spec.

Setting the scope boundary of a Whole Life Carbon Assessment

Two assessments of the same building can differ by a third on scope alone. The modules included, the study period and the elements covered have to be stated up front.

Forecasting jobs in an Economic Impact Assessment

Employment densities give you a gross number. Deadweight, leakage, displacement, substitution and multipliers turn it into the net figure officers will test.

The wider sustainability benefits limb of the Exception Test

Benefits have to be specific, attributable and secured. Quantify the residual flood risk first, then set the benefits against it, or the chapter will not carry the scheme.

Demand calculations in a Water Supply Assessment

Per capita consumption, occupancy and peak factors give you the demand figure. Fire flow and network capacity decide whether the connection works. Here is how the sections fit together.

Foul flow calculations in a Foul Sewage Assessment

Population equivalent, peak factors and infiltration decide whether your foul connection is accepted. Here is how the calculation is built and what the undertaker does with it.

Soil sampling density in an ALC survey

The number and spacing of observations decides how much weight an ALC grading carries. On sites where best and most versatile land is in issue, thin sampling is challenged.

Odour impact criteria in an Odour Assessment

Odour has no single statutory limit in planning. The criteria section chooses the benchmark, applies it to identified receptors and decides everything that follows.

Screening and scoping sections of an Environmental Statement

Screening decides whether EIA applies. Scoping decides what the Environmental Statement must examine. Both are settled months before the document is written, and both constrain it.

The remediation strategy in a Phase 2 contamination report

The remediation strategy is the part of a Phase 2 report a council enforces. It has to close every pollutant linkage with methods, criteria and verifiable evidence.

Internal noise criteria in a Noise Impact Assessment

The internal criteria section sets the BS 8233 targets the rest of the noise report is measured against, and decides whether the facade can be designed with openable windows at all.

The baseline survey section of a noise impact assessment

A background three decibels low turns a simple enclosure into a bespoke attenuator. How the baseline survey should be positioned, timed, filtered and presented.

The accumulation section of a parking survey

Parking stress is occupancy divided by capacity. The capacity count is where most surveys fail, and the deduction schedule is what a highway officer checks first.

The method statement section of an arboricultural assessment

The method statement is the part of an Arboricultural Impact Assessment councils actually enforce. Here is what it has to say about fencing, no-dig build-ups, services and supervision.

Habitat management and monitoring in a gain plan

The 30 year commitment in a biodiversity gain plan is where queries concentrate. Prescriptions by habitat, monitoring intervals, remedial triggers and how to cost it.