A right to light is a type of easement, which means it is the right of one landowner to make the use of another nearby piece of land (not owned by them) for the benefit of their own land. In the specific case of rights of light, this benefits the buildings on the dominant land, allowing them to receive light into those buildings through windows, skylights and glass roofs (or similar) across the neighbouring servient land.

With High Streets declining and the demand for housing increasing, the Government is considering extending current permitted development rights in order to combat the slow supply of new dwellings and to help High Streets adapt to changes in consumer behaviour. However, the approach has been criticised heavily,