Government publishes long-awaited guidance for second staircases
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has published its long-awaited guidance on second staircases for residential buildings that are 18 metres or taller.
Published on Good Friday, the changes to Approved Document B – the government’s building guidance covering fire safety – make clear that a second staircase is required in tall blocks of flats.
It also confirmed the end date of the transition period for the rules as 30 September 2026 and revealed that evacuation lifts will not be a requirement.
The guidance specified that interlocked stairs should be considered as a single escape route and “do not constitute an alternative means of escape”.
It also now separates provisions for horizontal escape and vertical escape.
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It follows housing secretary Michael Gove’s announcement in July last year that the government will impose a requirement for second staircases on all new buildings that are 18 metres or taller. This was lowered from the 30 metres proposed when the initial consultation on the policy launched.
In October, Mr Gove announced that there would be a two-and-a-half transition period for developers from the date the guidance was published.
In December, the London Assembly said the initial period was too long. In March, it accused the government of “foot-dragging” in failing to clarify new rules on second staircases after figures suggested that at least 38,000 new homes in London have been affected by the delay.
The amendments add the concept of evacuation shafts to the guidance to support the provision of evacuation lifts “where these are provided”, meaning the lifts are not required.
An evacuation lift is one that has been specifically designed to be used in an evacuation situation.
The London Plan requires that all new buildings taller than 18 metres include them.
According to the Approved Document B amendments: “Where evacuation lifts are provided, these should be located within an evacuation shaft containing a protected stairway, evacuation lift and evacuation lift lobby.
“An evacuation lift lobby should provide a refuge area for those waiting for the evacuation lift, have direct access to a protected stairway and not be directly accessible from any flat, maisonette, storage room or electrical equipment room.”
On the stairs, the guidance stated that an “acceptable width for everyday use will be sufficient for escape purposes”.
“If it is also a firefighting stair or a common stair in a building with a storey 18 metres or more in height, it should be at least 1,100mm wide. The width is the clear width between the walls or balustrades.
“Any handrails and strings intruding into that width by a maximum of 100mm on each side may be ignored,” it said.
Full details on the design and construction of second staircases can be found here.
Housing minister Lee Rowley said: “The change in guidance to include two staircases for buildings over 18 metres provides clarity for developers and ensures both new and existing buildings provide safe and secure homes for all residents.”
Rent research commissioned by the government found that the evacuation time from a high-rise block is halved when there is a second staircase.
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