Fire Safety Guidance (pre-consultation, for information)
The safety, security and resilience, including the fire safety, of a development should be considered from the outset. How a building or development will function should be considered at the earliest possible stage to ensure the most successful outcomes are achieved, creating developments that are safe and that Londoners can have confidence living in and using.
Fire safety compliance is covered by Part B of the Building Regulations. However, there are currently significant concerns around the scope, standards and effectiveness of the Building Regulations with regards to fire safety.
Fire safety is an essential factor that must be integral to the overall layout and design, rather than one that is only considered later in the development process once fundamental decisions have been made. If the matter of fire safety is left to be considered for the first time at Building Control stage, it may be too late to incorporate the necessary features or requirements into the site and/or building layouts. Fire safety measures, access for emergency vehicles, equipment and personnel, and safe emergency evacuation provisions that are suitable for everyone, need to be considered at the outset and consistently applied throughout the design, construction and on-going management phases.
What is the Fire Safety Guidance?
These documents are pre-consultation draft and are for information only. Formal consultation took place during 2022. For further information see the Fire Safety LPG page. Three pre-consultation draft documents were produced:
- Evacuation Lifts guidance provides further information to apply London Plan Policy D5 Inclusive Design section (B)(5);
- Fire Safety Policy D12(A) guidance provides further information to apply London Plan Policy D12 Fire Safety section (A)
- Fire Statements guidance provides further information to apply London Plan Policy D12 Fire Safety section (B).
The draft Evacuation Lifts guidance (updated 19 March 2021) relates to London Plan Policy D5(B)(5) and comprises four sections:
- The London Plan Policy D5 Inclusive Design (B)(5)
- What an evacuation lift is
- The level of lift provision and contingency
- A checklist for compliance
Updated to reflect that BS EN8176 has not been finalised.
The draft Fire Safety Policy D12(A) guidance relates to London Plan Policy D12(A) and includes the sections:
- Fire safety information
- Planning Fire Safety Strategy requirements
- Guidance on policy criteria for London Plan policy D12(A)
- Details on the information required for specific application types.
The draft Fire Statements guidance relates to London Plan Policy D12(B) and comprises London Plan Policy D5(B) and covers three sections:
- The London Plan Policy D12 Fire Safety
- A checklist for considering Fire Statements submitted with a planning application and what a Fire Statement should contain
- Information about who can produce a Fire Statement and the required professional competencies
Why do we need it?
In the London Plan 2021, the Mayor introduced the first London Plan Policy to address fire safety at the planning application stage. This committed to addressing fire safety from the outset rather than waiting until the application of Building Regulations once many details of a building’s design have already been determined. This can result in sub-optimal fire safety solutions and access by fire fighters and vehicles, and may also result in late-stage design changes that compromise other design features and functioning.
The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety by Dame Judith Hackitt was published in May 2018. The government published its response in December 2018. There will be a new regulatory framework around the design, construction and occupation of multi-occupied, high-rise residential buildings and planning will play an important role in this framework.
It is also important for everyone to understand the different roles and responsibilities for ensuring fire safety, and what professional competencies are needed to agree fire safety solutions as suitable for proposed developments.
The draft fire safety guidance is needed to provide further detail about:
- What information and detail needs to be submitted with the planning application
- Who is a competent person for the purposes of preparing and submitting fire safety documentation
- What is the role of the local planning authority
- Dealing with related consultation responses
- What is required on-site in order to meet the policy, including lifts
How has this guidance been prepared?
These guidance documents have been prepared in consultation with the London Fire Brigade, and drawing on access, Building Control and fire engineering expertise.
What's next?
When finalised, the Fire Safety London Plan Guidance ay be used to support London Plan policies.
Register to be notified of planning policy consultations or sign up for GLA Planning News.
Need a document on this page in an accessible format?
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of a PDF or other document on this page in a more accessible format, please get in touch via our online form and tell us which format you need.
It will also help us if you tell us which assistive technology you use. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.