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Second stairwell requirement to be imposed in blocks taller than 18 metres, Gove says
The government will impose a requirement for second staircases on all new buildings that are taller than 18 metres, Michael Gove has confirmed.
However, interim measures will be put in place with the “aim of securing the viability of projects which are already underway”, the housing secretary added.
A consultation on second staircases was first launched in December, with an initial proposal to impose the requirement at 30 metres (around 10 storeys).
But in a landmark housing speech today, Mr Gove said the threshold would be lowered to 18m (around six storeys) “following confirmation from expert bodies that they support this threshold”.
A coalition led by the Royal Institute of British Architects, which also included the Chartered Institute of Building, the National Fire Chiefs Council and disability rights groups, had called on Mr Gove to impose the threshold at a lower height.
There have been regular reports of schemes being cancelled or delayed due to the uncertainty while a government decision was pending.
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London mayor Sadiq Khan had said in February that buildings taller than 30 metres London would need a second staircase to be signed off, and the new Building Safety Regulator has raised regular concerns over buildings which are not.
Speaking in King’s Cross today, Mr Gove said: “[The government’s new] long-term plan for housing… builds on our existing progress by confirming the intention to mandate second staircases in new residential buildings above 18 metres, following confirmation from expert bodies that they support this threshold.”
He added that the move “responds to the call from the sector for coherence and certainty”.
“This is a considered and gradual evolution of safety standards, which, when taken with our other fire safety measures and reforms, ensures the safety of people in all tall buildings – both new and existing,” he said.
Mr Gove added that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities would “work rapidly” with the industry and regulators to design transitional arrangements.
He said these would have the “aim of securing the viability of projects which are already underway, avoiding delays where there are other more appropriate mitigations”.
Research comparing 30 international building codes, carried out by McGill University in Montreal, demonstrated that only the UK and South Korea had no requirement for a second staircase, with countries such as the United States, Ireland and Canada imposing requirements at four storeys and below.
A single staircase was one of the complicating factors at Grenfell Tower. After firefighters based their operations in the stairwell and wedged open doors to run hoses, the stairwell was filled with smoke from burning flats, which hindered residents’ escape.
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