Proposals that come to Court are examined far more searchingly than the vast majority of developments that are determined without litigation. The adversarial process encourages the combatant spirit. Each party highlights the features that are to its advantage and conceals those to its detriment. Both the merits and the shortcomings of a proposal tend to be magnified. An expert witness should be firmly rooted in the practical world and accept that most proposals do not perform perfectly on every design criterion.
Housing projects are unlikely to achieve all day sunlight into every room in mid-winter.
On the other hand, if a proposal gets no winter sunlight at all, it is better for the expert arguing in favour of the application to concede that this is a negative feature, rather than to defend it on the grounds that some people prefer the shade. The hallmark of a good expert witness is an understanding of the opponent's case. The council's expert should understand the financial and time constraints under which applicants operate. The applicant's expert should understand the influence that objectors have over councils. Finally, good experts bring some originality to their evidence.