London planning visuals checklist: what each council asks for
Every London council publishes a "local list": the documents it needs before it will even register a planning application. Visuals are scattered through those lists under different names: photomontages, verified views, accurate visual representations, 3D models, townscape assessments. This checklist pulls the visual and daylight requirements for seven central London authorities into one place, with a link to each council's own document so you can check the wording yourself.
It covers what each council asks for, not how we would price or produce it. Requirements change, and several councils (Westminster, Tower Hamlets and the City among them) say the views and level of detail should be agreed with them first, so treat this as a starting point for that conversation.
The London-wide rules every borough points to
Whatever the borough, three pieces of guidance sit behind the visual requirements.
London Plan 2021, Policy HC4 (London View Management Framework) and Policy D9 (Tall buildings). These are the policies councils cite when they ask for verified views and townscape assessments. Westminster's local list, for example, cites both for its Townscape Visual Impact Assessment requirement.
London View Management Framework SPG (Mayor of London, March 2012). Where a scheme could affect a Designated View, the SPG says the application should include an analysis that "explains, evaluates and justifies any visual impact on the view", usually inside the Design and Access Statement or a Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment. It defines an Accurate Visual Representation (AVR) and sets out the AVR0 to AVR3 scale in Appendix C.
Landscape Institute TGN 06/19, Visual Representation of Development Proposals (September 2019). Sets out four visualisation types, from Type 1 annotated photographs to Type 4 survey verifiable photomontages. Our guide to CGI vs 3D rendering explains how the types and AVR levels fit together.
For daylight and sunlight, councils point to the BRE guide Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice (BR 209). The current edition is the third, published in 2022. Some local lists still cite older editions (noted below), so check with the case officer which version they expect.
What "major development" means here
Most visual requirements kick in at "major development". Westminster's 2026 local list defines it as 10 or more homes, a site of 0.5 hectares or more (residential) or 1 hectare or more (non-residential), or 1,000 sq m GIA or more of new floorspace. That follows the national definition in the Development Management Procedure Order 2015.
Borough by borough
City of London
Source: Major applications, page updated 9 June 2025.
Local View Assessment for most major applications: a plan of viewing points, a photograph of each view and photomontages of the proposal. Viewpoints should normally be agreed with the planning department first. Verified Visual Montages (VVMs) may be required to confirm accuracy.
London View Management Framework: where the site lies within a Designated View, evidence using the SPG's methods, which the City names as Qualitative Visual Assessment and Geometric Definition.
St Paul's Heights grid assessment where protected views of St Paul's apply, and a Tower of London World Heritage Site statement where the proposal could affect it.
Illustrative material, which the City notes is particularly useful for public and committee presentation.
Daylight/sunlight impact study under the BRE guide.
Westminster
Source: Local List of Planning Application Validation Requirements, July 2026.
L2, Photographs and Accurate Visual Representations / 3D models: required for large redevelopment schemes and where a proposal involves demolition or affects a conservation area or listed building. Context photographs and AVRs should show the impact on the building and street scene.
Verified views where LVMF or significant views are affected. A full Townscape Visual Impact Assessment and/or 3D modelling may also be required for larger schemes.
3D models in FBX format and geo-located. Westminster says it currently uses VU.CITY.
L42, Townscape Visual Impact Assessment for development with a significant impact on townscape or strategic views, citing London Plan HC2, HC3, HC4 and D9.
L18, Daylight and sunlight assessment where light to adjoining sensitive uses is likely to be affected, following the BRE guide.
Camden
Sources: Local Area Requirements for Planning Applications (2020, republished), LVMF assessments, Daylight and sunlight assessments.
Major applications: verified views with 3D visualisations, preferably photomontages, showing the development in context.
LVMF assessment where the site is in a strategic view corridor and would affect a view of a major landmark. It should include scale drawings showing heights above sea level and the development plane, photographs of the existing view and photomontages of the proposal. Camden says Verified Visual Montages will be required to confirm accuracy.
Daylight and sunlight assessment where neighbouring light, gardens or amenity space could be affected, and for 10 or more new homes. Camden's pages cite the 2011 edition of the BRE guide.
Islington
Source: Local Validation Requirements for Planning Applications, 12 April 2024.
All development: photographs of the existing building and its relationship with neighbours.
Major developments: photographs and photomontages showing how the building sits in the street scene and wider context, plus a simplified massing model in FBX format for VU.CITY, geo-located by OS grid coordinates (preferred) or latitude and longitude, with the original software and units stated.
Within strategic or local viewing corridors, or affecting views of landmarks: annotated elevations showing viewing plane heights, photomontages and verified visual montages.
Tall buildings (over 30m): separate Townscape Visual Impact and Heritage Impact Assessments, with Zones of Visual Influence (also called Zones of Theoretical Visibility).
Daylight and sunlight assessment for all new major residential schemes and wherever neighbours' light may be affected. The list cites the BRE guide as "(2021)".
Southwark
Source: Planning checklists: full planning application.
Townscape visual impact assessment where a proposal affects LVMF views, local views (including views to and from listed buildings and conservation areas) or views of world heritage sites. It must be prepared by qualified members of the relevant professional body, following the Landscape Institute and IEMA Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment.
3D model with every major application, for VU.CITY. FBX (2011 to 2016) or OBJ, under 128 MB, all objects on one layer, geo-located to British National Grid. A 3D model submission form goes with it, and updated models may be requested if the scheme changes.
Tall buildings: Southwark's validation table for Southwark Plan Policy P17 lists a townscape visual impact assessment including AVR photos.
Daylight and sunlight assessment where neighbouring windows may lose light, with tests shown on drawings.
Tower Hamlets
Sources: CGI visualisations, Digital 3D modelling, Daylight/sunlight assessment.
CGI visualisations for all major developments, showing the likely visual impact in context. The views and level of detail are agreed at pre-application stage.
Digital 3D model for major development and for medium to large schemes with a significant townscape impact: a simplified massing model in FBX, geo-located (OS grid preferred), with the original software and units stated. The Planning Portal does not accept FBX, so the council asks for it by email with the application reference.
Photographs and photomontages where the proposal involves demolition or affects a conservation area or listed building.
Daylight and sunlight assessment where neighbours' light is likely to be affected and for all major residential schemes, using the latest BRE guide, with a summary table per building of rooms tested and losses graded minor, moderate and major.
Lambeth
Source: Local Information Requirements (the Local List) 2024, issued December 2024.
Major development: contextual elevations and 3D visualisations, described as "Visually Verifiable Photomontages", showing the development in context.
Tall Building Impact Assessment is a separate item on the list for tall building proposals.
Daylight and sunlight assessment for all new residential development and where neighbours' light, gardens or amenity space may be affected, following the 2022 BRE guide, including light within the new homes.
The short checklist
Before you brief your visualiser, get answers to these:
Is the scheme "major", tall, in a conservation area or affecting a listed building?
Does the site sit in an LVMF Designated View, a borough or local view, or the setting of a World Heritage Site?
Which viewpoints does the council want, and have they been agreed in writing at pre-application stage?
For each view: photomontage or verified view? Which TGN 06/19 type and which AVR level?
Does the council want a 3D model for VU.CITY? If so, which format, coordinate system and size limit?
Is a daylight and sunlight assessment needed, and which BRE edition will the officer expect?
Who signs off the townscape assessment, and do the visuals need to match their viewpoint numbering?
Sources
Mayor of London, The London Plan 2021, Chapter 3 Design (Policy D9) and Policy HC4.
Mayor of London, London View Management Framework SPG, March 2012.
Landscape Institute, TGN 06/19: Visual Representation of Development Proposals, 17 September 2019.
BRE, Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight (BR 209, 2022 edition).
Council sources are linked under each borough above. All were checked on 4 November 2026.
More London boroughs will be added to this checklist.
Need planning visuals?
We produce verified views, photomontages and planning CGIs for UK architects. See our recent work, or get in touch to talk through what your council is asking for.
