Question 1

Can a Schaduwplan report be used as evidence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as supporting evidence with a formal response (zienswijze), objection (bezwaar) or appeal. We apply the TNO sunlight standard — recognised by the Council of State (Raad van State) as a reasonable assessment framework — and use the same open government sources that municipalities and lawyers consult. For an appeal or a complex neighbour-law dispute we strongly recommend involving a lawyer.

Question 2

Which Council of State (Raad van State) rulings are relevant?

Accepted Answer

Three recent precedents set the framework: Ootmarsum 2013 (zoning plan annulled because sunlight substantiation was missing), Almelo 2023 (TNO Light and Strict norms accepted as an assessment framework), and Voorburg 2023 (completeness of the context decisive — a missing neighbouring building in the model led to a correction).

Question 3

Do I need to hire a specialist?

Accepted Answer

For most formal responses and objections, no — a substantiated report is usually enough. For an appeal, more complex neighbour-law cases or damages calculations, a lawyer or building specialist is a good step, and a Schaduwplan report is a stronger starting point than beginning without data.

Question 4

Does this report also apply to flats and owners-association (VvE) matters?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For flats you place measurement points at the windows or balcony. For owners-association (VvE) matters you can assess several flats at the same address within one report, or separately per flat if they have different owners.

Question 5

Which data does Schaduwplan use?

Accepted Answer

3DBAG (LoD2 building models from TU Delft and 3DGI, updated quarterly), BAG (addresses and buildings via Kadaster/PDOK), AHN (height data accurate to a few centimetres — AHN4 nationwide via PDOK, AHN5/AHN6 per province via Ellipsis Drive) and PDOK Locatieserver (for address autocomplete). All sources are publicly accessible and independently verifiable.

Question 6

How accurate is the height information?

Accepted Answer

AHN is accurate to a few centimetres vertically. For buildings with roof shapes we use 3DBAG LoD2.2 where available. In the Voorburg 2023 ruling the Council of State (Raad van State) explicitly accepted height deviations of 3 cm.

Question 7

What exactly is the TNO sunlight standard?

Accepted Answer

The TNO standard is the Dutch standard assessment framework for sunlight on homes. The Light norm requires at least 2 hours of sun per day between 19 February and 21 October. The Strict norm requires 3 hours of sun per day between 21 January and 22 November. Both are measured at the centre of the window frame, behind the glass, 75 cm above the floor.

Question 8

What is the difference between sunlight and daylight?

Accepted Answer

Sunlight (bezonning) is the number of hours of direct sun on a measurement point, assessed against the TNO standard (a guideline). The statutory daylight requirement (light entering a habitable room) is set out in the Buildings Living Environment Decree (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, art. 4.146 and 4.147, calculated per NEN 2057); that is an indoor building-physics calculation Schaduwplan does not perform. We do show a sky-view indication per window: how much sky the window still sees from the outside — an additional, conservative daylight indication, not the statutory daylight requirement. Window size counts towards the daylight requirement, but not towards the sunlight norm, which measures one point on the windowsill.

Question 9

Does loss of daylight count in court?

Accepted Answer

Yes, daylight can count. Article 5:37 of the Dutch Civil Code protects against "withholding of light", not only sun. Note the distinction: the court has the indoor daylight factor calculated by an expert — a more complete figure than the sky view (VSC) that Schaduwplan measures on the outside of the window. With that distinction in mind: the Limburg District Court on 18 October 2023 (ECLI:NL:RBLIM:2023:6456) had such a daylight factor calculated per room and called both sunlight and daylight factor "generally accepted methods"; in 2024 and 2025 building stops followed partly on the grounds of daylight loss. Our sky-view indication is a first, substantiated sign of daylight loss and does not replace that expert calculation.

Question 10

Which municipal norms are included?

Accepted Answer

The Hague (Haagse norm), Rotterdam (three-step assessment framework) and Eindhoven have their own calculated variant that Schaduwplan selects automatically based on the address. Some other municipalities — such as Amsterdam, Amstelveen and Krimpen aan den IJssel — refer to the TNO Light norm or have a procedural framework. About 97% of municipalities publish no sunlight norm of their own; there the TNO standard applies as a reference.

Question 11

How exactly is shadow calculated?

Accepted Answer

For each hour of the day the system calculates the sun position (azimuth and elevation), then casts shadows from all surrounding buildings using geometric raycasting, and checks whether each measurement point receives sun. The core formula: h_shadow = h_building - distance * tan(sun elevation). The full methodology is included as an appendix in every report.

Question 12

What data does Schaduwplan keep about me?

Accepted Answer

On our servers: nothing as long as you only use the free 3D viewer. Your address, planned buildings, saved projects and any attachments stay functionally in your own browser (sessionStorage, localStorage and IndexedDB) — we have no access to them. Only when you buy a report do we need an email address and the address of the report; invoices are kept for seven years (tax retention obligation).

Question 13

Does Schaduwplan use analytics or tracking cookies?

Accepted Answer

No. No Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no tracking cookies and no cookie-based error monitoring. The viewer does use functional local storage (sessionStorage, localStorage and IndexedDB) to keep your work between sessions — all first-party and only on your device. The full list is in the cookie statement at schaduwplan.nl/cookies.

Question 14

What exactly is in a Schaduwplan report?

Accepted Answer

An A4 PDF (typically 10–15 pages, depending on measurement points and norms): a cover with a hero render and report ID, assumptions and methodology, before/after shadow diagrams on all TNO reference days from your analysis, a measurement-point table with TNO pass/fail, a methodology appendix, and a conclusion with disclaimer and source references. A north arrow and scale bar on every page.

Question 15

How long does a sunlight analysis take?

Accepted Answer

A full analysis (address to model to scenario to PDF) takes about five minutes. The heaviest calculation (year-round per measurement point) runs in Web Workers, usually under a second for 10 measurement points.

Question 16

Why does a report cost €29.95 while the 3D viewer is free?

Accepted Answer

The 3D viewer costs us little to run — open data, computation in your browser. The report export (PDF generation, branded templates, methodology appendix, support) does take time and infrastructure. We deliberately keep that price low.

Question 17

Is a Schaduwplan report covered by legal-expenses insurance?

Accepted Answer

Many Dutch home legal-expenses insurance policies cover sunlight reports in disputes about environmental permits (omgevingsvergunning) or neighbour law. Check your policy (look for "deskundigenrapport" or "bouwtechnisch advies") or email us — we are happy to include an invoice and methodological substantiation as evidence of relevance.

Every answer in one place.

Legal & evidential value

Data & accuracy

Methodology & norms

Privacy & data

Use & report

Pricing & insurance coverage

Is your question not here?

Every answer in one place.

Legal & evidential value

Can a Schaduwplan report be used as evidence?

Which Council of State (Raad van State) rulings are relevant?

Do I need to hire a specialist?

Does this report also apply to flats and owners-association (VvE) matters?

Data & accuracy

Which data do you use?

How accurate is the height information?

What happens if a building is not in 3DBAG?

Is the sun position correct all year?

Methodology & norms

What exactly is the TNO sunlight standard?

What is the difference between sunlight and daylight?

Does loss of daylight count in court?

Which municipal norms are included?

My municipality has its own norm that is not included — what now?

How exactly is shadow calculated?

Can I assess "maximum planning possibilities"?

Privacy & data

What data do you keep about me?

Do you use analytics or tracking cookies?

Is my data shared with third parties?

Can I have my data deleted?

Use & report

What exactly is in a report?

How long does an analysis take?

Can I compare several scenarios?

Does it work on mobile?

Pricing & insurance coverage

Why does a report cost €29.95 while Schaduwplan is free?

Is this covered by my legal-expenses insurance?

What if I am not sure right now whether I need a report?

Does Schaduwplan have a subscription?

Is your question not here?