The Housing Forum responds to second staircase consultation

As part of a suite of reforms to building safety, the government is consulting on views of making a second staircase mandatory in tall buildings.
The Housing Forum held a Spotlight Series event on this issue consulted with members around their views and responded on behalf of our members.

The Housing Forum consultation response:

We support the move to require second staircases on buildings of over 30m, as part of a wider reform of building safety. We appreciate the ambition of the proposals, on the basis of calls from the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) relating to improving firefighting access in the event of voluntary self-evacuation.

We are aware that this issue is part of a wider drive to improve building safety and think it is important to note how the industry – and many of our members in particular – have proactively responded to measures that DLUHC has taken over recent years to increase the safety of buildings. Many across the housing sector and been seeking to stay ahead of changes and many have taken a leading role with product manufacturers and consultants to contribute to the industry adapting to new requirements. The complete ban on combustible materials on facades and the introduction of sprinklers has radically improved the safety of buildings. The Building Safety Act, golden thread and gateway controls, which many have adopted ahead of implementation, also greatly improve the demonstration of building quality assurance and establish far more robust arrangements for building management.

Whilst some within the housing sector have taken the initiative ahead of government and elected to include secondary stairs some time ago, others – including many in the not-for-profit sector – have followed the rules in place at the time and prioritised keeping costs down and maximising housing capacity instead. The lack of transitional arrangements are causing significant problems for this group. We call on government to take a clearer lead on this issue, and others in building safety. Housebuilders, including not-for-profits, should not have to be gambling on what may be coming next.

We have three main concerns about the second staircase proposals relating to:

1. Clarity over the technical requirements and purpose of second staircases
2. Transitional arrangements
3. The need for a clear roadmap that sets out how these proposals fit within other building safety changes, giving certainty and confidence in investing for the future.

We also feel that it is vital that DLUHC and the wider industry are clear on the messaging on existing high-rise blocks with a single staircase. We note that paragraph 53 of the consultation document states that these do not pose a life safety risk, but it is important to ensure that residents, potential buyers, mortgage lenders, and insurers do not interpret the requirement for a second staircase in new housing as a signal that older single-staircase blocks are inherently unsafe.

Read our full response here

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