Fire strategy for a change-of-use scheme

Overview

A developer needed a fire strategy to support a change-of-use planning application on a mixed-use scheme — the existing building's construction meant the strategy had to work with what was already there, not a blank sheet of paper, while still giving the planning authority everything it needed to approve the application first time.

Scope of work

• Review of the proposed change-of-use scheme against current Building Regulations guidance
• Development of a bespoke fire strategy covering means of escape and evacuation principles
• Construction detail recommendations to support Building Regulations compliance
• Strategy prepared to a standard suitable for submission alongside the planning application

Challenges identified

• Aligning a fire strategy with a change of use rather than a new-build, where existing construction constrained the available options
• Producing a strategy robust enough to satisfy the planning authority without triggering a further round of queries
• Balancing evacuation principles against the practical realities of the existing building fabric

Recommendations delivered

• Evacuation strategy and travel distances set out clearly enough to be assessed directly by the planning authority
• Construction detail requirements identified early, before they became a design or cost problem later in the project
• A strategy document structured so it could be referenced directly in the Building Regulations submission

Outcome

The fire strategy unlocked the change-of-use planning application, with the evacuation principles and construction details accepted without a further round of planning queries.