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London council trials intrusive high-rise surveys ahead of new building safety laws
A south London council has started surveying the first of its 170 high-rise buildings as major changes to the laws governing building safety come into force.
Southwark Council said it is testing how to practically carry out the extra intrusive surveys required as part of the changes that are being made to the regulation of buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
This includes the Fire Safety Act, which was passed by parliament last year, and the Building Safety Bill, which is due to be passed later this year.
The Fire Safety Act brings buildings’ external structure into the scope of existing fire safety regulations, while the Building Safety Bill will usher in wider changes to the system of regulation, including a new Building Safety Regulator.
Southwark Council’s intrusive surveys will begin with Andoversford Court in Peckham, chosen because it has eight floors and specific features that influence the way fire travels.
Part of the survey will look at the outside of the building and communal areas. The council may also need to open up walls and ceilings and will check both sides of residents’ fire doors, which is a new requirement under the legislation.
While the council said it is not expecting to find any “urgent safety actions” due to the fire strategy already in place for the block, it pledged to act on any serious findings.
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As a test to see if it might be useful elsewhere on the programme, some residents may be asked to allow the council access for building information modelling (BIM).
BIM is used to create a 3D model of buildings, including the outside, communal areas and the homes within the block.
The process requires consultants to enter homes with a camera for around 45 minutes so that they can capture the data for the 3D model.
In 2009, a fire in a high-rise block in Southwark, named Lakanal House, resulted in the death of six people.
Southwark Council was fined £570,000 in 2017 for its failures in relation to the fire. The council said it has “gone over and above what is required to make buildings safe” since.
Stephanie Cryan, cabinet member for council homes and homelessness at Southwark Council, thanked residents of Andoversford for their help in testing the new fire safety requirements.
She added: “Only with their help can we quickly carry out the inspections; I hope others in estates on the programme understand the importance of this work in keeping them safe.”
“I know that it is inconvenient for people and an expensive investment for the council, but people’s safety is our highest priority and we have to go as far as we can with this.”
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