Overview

• Justice Fancourt found the Powells’ and Cooper’s flats suffered ‘insufficient’ light for ordinary enjoyment, awarding them £500,000 and £350,000 in damages.
• The court refused an injunction to demolish the 17-storey Arbor tower, citing over £200 million in wasted costs and significant environmental harm.
• Arbor tower opened between 2019 and 2021 as the first completed phase of the £2 billion Bankside Yards development on London’s South Bank.
• Developers had argued that the light reduction was minor and could be mitigated by artificial lighting in the affected rooms.
• The ruling highlights the challenge of balancing individual rights of light with the demands of large-scale urban densification.