Fire Safety concerns and a consultation opportunity for public, councillors & planning officers

 

The review of Fire Safety was the second item on the recent Brent Scrutiny Commitete agenda and was not as comprehensive as the Flood item.

 

A Brent council tenant who listened carefully to the discussion said:

 

The scrutiny committee did not seem to know much about the subject they were discussing with the biggest fault being they made no mention as to how residents will be involved, which was the main focus of the Building Safety bill and they failed to even mention Dame Judith Hackitt's three reports on Building Safety and the Fire Safety Act which updated the Fire Safety Order (2005.

 

Their 'experts' seemed to believe that it is only new buildings that the Building Safety bill applies to but that is not the case, as it also applies to current buildings.

 

Although they mentioned cladding, no one mentioned fire doors but to be generous the absentee technical officer might have brought them into the discussion and Cllr. Conneely tried to raise issues like fire doors but was told it was a 'housing issue'.

 

They were also vague about the training competences required but if they had read the Health & Safety reports on Building Safety led by Mr. Baker, the Regulator, they would understand that any new Inspectors would need to start from level 7 (Honours Degree) and have post grad qualifications in Fire Safety and related areas.  That is why it is so hard to find suitable candidates, as most surveyors only have an honours degree but nothing higher.

 

I could go on, but I suppose it was a start, but I would give it a 3 rating (out of 10) as the council needs to start reading all the material that has already been published, although they seem to be waiting for someone to guide them to it.

 

As Dame Hackitt said only 10% of councils are 'on the ball' e.g. Camden but unfortunately Brent is within the remaining 90%.

 Details of the proposed legislation  HERE

 

Meanwhile planning applicants, Brent Council planning officers and members of the Planning Committee as well as the public may wish to take part in this series of meetings organised by the GLA (My hgihlighting):

Consultation Opportunity – Fire Safety London Plan Guidance We are consulting on a new Fire Safety London Plan Guidance (LPG) covering London Plan Policies D12 Fire safety and D5 Inclusive design (specifically on evacuation lifts). The Fire safety LPG sets out how planning applicants should demonstrate their developments can achieve the highest standards in fire safety.  The Fire Safety LPG reiterates that the fire safety of developments needs to be considered from the outset. It is essential that fire safety measures and the evacuation strategy are integral to the overall layout and design of a development, rather than considered for the first time at the Building Control stage.  The guidance confirms that planning officers are not experts in fire safety, and therefore places the onus is on the applicant and the fire safety expert to demonstrate compliance with the London Plan fire safety policies. The consultation closes on 20 June 2022.  Online Events We’re running the following events (all online):  Wednesday 9 March – 6pm – 7pm This event is a general briefing for the general public to find out more about the new London Plan Guidance document that relate to fire safety. It is open to all and is suitable for interest groups, public campaign groups and Londoners to ask questions and find out more about the guidance.  Tuesday 15 March – 10.00am – 11.00am This session introduces the guidance document to borough planning and building officers in London. Thursday 17 March – 10.00am – 11.00am This session introduces the guidance document to fire engineers, planning consultants and building control officers in London. Tuesday 17 May – 6pm – 7pm This session is open to all to revisit the guidance and for attendees to ask any questions of the team.  Useful Links View details on the consultation and submit your response: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/implementing-london-plan/london-plan-guidance/fire-safety-lpg Sign up to attend our online events: http://londonplanguidance.eventbrite.com The London Plan 2021 can be viewed on our website: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/new-london-plan/london-plan-2021 Any queries can be emailed to FireSafetyLPG@london.gov.uk. You can post responses to: The Planning Team, Greater London Authority, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, LONDON, E16 1ZE.  Kind regards  The London Plan and Growth Strategies Team