Knowledge & Insights

Practical insight from the people behind MEC.

Explore technical guidance, industry updates and expert insight from across our teams, created to help navigate the issues, regulations and opportunities affecting development.

Helping make sense of the technical challenges and changing requirements that shape development.

Featured Insight

‘Building for light’

Achieving compliant, high-quality daylight and sunlight performance is now a key design driver, directly influencing massing, layout, efficiency and planning success.

Humza ahmed

Expert technical insight

Explore technical guidance, industry updates and expert insights from across our disciplines, designed to help you navigate the latest challenges, regulations and opportunities shaping development.

Why Daylight & Sunlight Design Can Make or Break Planning Approval

Natural light is one of the most valuable elements in the built environment. It shapes how we experience spaces, supports health and wellbeing, and plays a vital role in sustainable design.

Planning Practice Guidance Update: A More Balanced Approach to the Sequential Test

The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) has been updated with immediate effect, introducing important changes to the way Paragraph 175 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is applied when assessing flood risk through the Sequential Test.

Why Sensitive Lighting Design Matters for Grey Belt Housing – Our latest article in the PHPD Magazine

Associate Environmental Consultant Nathan Allen shares why early, sensitive external lighting design is key to protecting wildlife and securing planning approvals for grey belt developments.

Guides & Resources

Practical information to take away.

Access guides and resources created by our technical teams to help navigate development requirements and industry change.

Daylight, Sunlight & Overshadowing

A practical guide to support architects, planners and developers understand when a Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing Assessment may be required and how early engagement can support the design process. 

Daylight Cheat Sheet

Need a quick reminder of when a Daylight, Sunlight & Overshadowing Assessment might be needed? We’ve condensed the key points from our guide into a practical A4 cheat. 

It’s designed as a quick reference for planners, developers, and architects reviewing new schemes, helping identify potential considerations before planning submissions are prepared.

Padel – Key Considerations

A practical guide to some of the key technical considerations when planning padel developments, including lighting, acoustics, transport, flood risk and drainage, ground conditions and other pre-planning requirements.

CPD Sessions Available

Staying up to date with the industry.

We offer a range of practical CPD sessions to help keep your teams up to date with the latest guidance, legislation and industry best practice.

Our current programme includes topics such as Lighting and Daylight in PracticeMaterial Management Plans, and Noise in the Environment. We can also develop bespoke CPD sessions tailored to your organisation, drawing on the expertise of our 10 specialist disciplines to meet your team’s specific requirements.

MEC Consulting Group
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