Building control guidance for a fire precaution application

What you need to know to be able to submit a full plans application

Customer Guidance Note 03.

BUILDING REGULATIONS FULL PLANS APPLICATIONS FIRE PRECAUTIONS ACT 1971

The following information is very important. Please take the time to read it, as it concerns your building regulations proposals.

Fire Precautions Act application.

The LFEPA1 London Fire Brigade administers the Fire Precautions Act 1971.  They have asked the council to remind you that a separate application may need to be submitted to them under that legislation.  This normally follows on after the building regulations application.

Brigade officers for this area can be contacted as follows:

LFEPA.

London Fire Brigade - Fire Safety
(Hammersmith & Fulham Group)
190 - 1292 Shepherds Bush Road
Hammersmith
W6 7NL
Tel No: 020 8587 4800
Fax No: 020 8587 4802
Email:hammersmithandfulhamgroup@london-fire.gov.uk

Premises involved.

The Brigade has advised that:

In accordance with the Fire Precautions (Factories, Offices, Shops & Raliway Premises) Order 1989, a fire certificate is required for:

A. Factory, office, shop & railway premises:

• i. Where more than 20 persons are at work at any one time
• ii. Where more than 10 persons are at work at any one time elsewhere than on the ground floor
• iii. In the same building as other factory, office or shop premises where the sum total of persons at work in all the premises exceeds 20 or exceeds 10 elsewhere than on the ground floor.            

B. Factory premises in or under which explosive or highly flammable materials are stored or used in such quantity as to constitute a serious additional risk in case of fire.

In accordance with the Fire Precautions (Hotels & Boarding Houses) order 1972, a fire certificate is required for any premises used as a hotel or boarding house if sleeping accommodation is provided for more than 6 persons (whether guests or staff) or there is some sleeping accommodation above the first floor or below the ground floor.

Implications.

Building regulations and fire precautions matters overlap to an extent. The council's building control suggests that where alterations to an existing building are proposed, a building regulations applications should be made to the council in the first instance. If the premises have an existing fire certificate, notification of the proposals is then legally required to be made to the LFEPA1. If the newly built or existing building requires a fire certificate for the first time, contact should be made with the LFEPA1 to request a fire certificate application pack prior to occupation.