Lancashire homeowners may lose their right to light says Linder Myers

Homeowners in Lancashire may soon lose their right to light following the recent announcement that a consultation has started to review the 400 year old law.

The historic law currently protects homeowners from any obstruction being built which would block natural light from coming into their properties.

The three month review, launched by the Law Commission on February 18 and backed by ministers, sets out to remove the legislation to give the green light to large developers to build both residential and commercial developments without the threat of homeowners having the legal right to object.

Duncan Rawlinson, residential conveyancing specialist at Linder Myers solicitors commented: “This is sad news for homeowners in Lancashire. Everyone has a right to natural light and we shouldn’t take for granted the enjoyment that brings in a home environment. The potential removal of this legislation will have a significant impact on homeowners.

“The amount of natural light is often cited by homebuyers as one of the main reasons for selecting or rejecting a property so the potential removal of the Right to Light legislation could have a significant impact on property values which will be a very unwelcome development.

“The Law Commission currently states that any change would only impact properties built in the past 20 years however, it sets a dangerous precedent if it is passed potentially stripping homeowners of further rights down the line.”

It is estimated that around three million new residential properties have been built in England and Wales in the past two decades. Linder Myers, which merged with Senior Calveley & Hardy in October last year, is part of the Consulegis Group the international network of over 1,700 lawyers from 150 cities worldwide.