Scottish Building Regulations: Fire Safety review and Compliance: Call for Evidence

Recommendation 10 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report:

• We therefore recommend that it be made a statutory requirement that a fire safety strategy produced by a registered fire engineer to be submitted with building control applications for the construction or refurbishment of any higher-risk building and for it to be reviewed and re-submitted at the stage of completion.

The recommendation asks that the strategy must take into account the needs of vulnerable people, including the additional time they may require to leave the building or reach a place of safety within it and any additional facilities necessary to ensure their safety. It therefore links to Recommendation 8 and Recommendation 57.

As noted under Recommendation 8, at present, there are no provisions specific to non-domestic buildings which mandate the production of a fire safety strategy. However, a (simple) fire safety design summary is sought for new non-domestic buildings.

As part of the review of Section 2 (Fire), Scottish Government will explore the introduction of a Fire Safety Design Summary process for certain domestic buildings at both the design and completion stage. This will include public and targeted consultation with appropriate stakeholders such as Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, local authority verifiers, designers and fire engineers, following this call for evidence.

Examples of potential areas for development may be: 

• as part of the consideration to introduce a process of Fire Safety Design Summary for flats and maisonettes in multi-storey domestic buildings, include a consideration of the appropriate competence for those completing the summary.