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Fire Statements – Part Six – How to fill out the application

September 20, 2021 11:06 am

In August 2021, an amendment to the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 was implemented, known as Planning Gateway One. It requires the completion of a form called a Fire Statement, to be submitted with any planning application for a development which includes a relevant high-rise building.

LWF’s Fire Engineering blog series so far has looked at the new requirements in terms of which developments are included in Planning Gateway One, what detail is required and who should fill out the form. Part six will begin to look at the application form itself.

The Fire Statement form can be filled out online, using the provided dynamic version with drop-down answer fields, or a hard-copy of the static fire statement form can be printed and completed by hand. It is permitted for the applicant to submit their own version of the form, provided it contains all the same elements and information as the form published by the Secretary of State.

Section 1 of the form requests the site address and it should be as stated on the application for permission form.

Section 2 asks for a description of the proposed development including any change of use. The size of the response box indicates that no more than a paragraph or two is required.

Section 3 is for the name of the person completing the fire statement, their relevant qualifications and experience, in no more than 200 words.

This should be a “suitably qualified engineer with relevant experience in fire safety, such as a chartered engineer registered with the Engineering Council by the Institution of Fire Engineers, or suitably qualified and competent professional with the demonstrable experience to address the complexity of the design being proposed in terms of fire safety.”

Section 4 asks for a description of any consultation that has been undertaken on fire safety matters as they relate to land use planning and what account has been taken of this. As a guide, this section should consist of no more than 200 words. This section should be used to include details of any consultation with the HSE that has taken place.

Fire Statement Form Extract

In part seven of this series, LWF will continue to look at the Fire Statement form application process and accompanying guidance notes.

Links to all Fire Statement blogs are as follows:

LWF’s blog series on Fire Statements includes information on the type of buildings affected by the changes, details on what information must be included and provides an overview of the application process and form. If you have any queries about your own project or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 25 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.

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