{"id":19916,"date":"2023-07-24T14:08:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T21:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/gove-tightens-second-staircase-rules\/"},"modified":"2023-07-24T14:08:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T21:08:36","slug":"gove-tightens-second-staircase-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/gove-tightens-second-staircase-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Gove tightens second staircase rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The new rules were confirmed by Housing Secretary Michael Gove on Monday.<\/p>\n

Consultations last year had an initial threshold of 30m for second staircases in new schemes which has already been adopted in London and subsequently led to the shelving of a series of planned new residential schemes.<\/p>\n

Gove said his tighter rules would provide definitive guidelines for developers and \u201ctransitional arrangements\u201d would cover schemes already in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

He said the government is \u201cproviding much-desired clarity to builders that 18m will be the threshold that we will introduce for new buildings requiring second staircases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gove added: \u201cAnd of course there will be transitional arrangements in place to make sure that there is no disruption to housing supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move was welcomed by industry trade bodies.<\/p>\n

Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, External Affairs and Research at CIOB, said: \u201cThe safety of residents and emergency services workers is paramount and can never be understated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have always believed the proposal to mandate secondary staircases for buildings over 18 metres tall to be the best solution as it provides a more comprehensive strategy in ensuring all high-risk buildings have more than one means of a safe entrance and exit.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only does it make exiting buildings in the event of an emergency easier, but it also allows emergency workers to avoid interruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

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RIBA President <\/span>Simon Allford<\/span>\u00a0said:<\/span> \u201cThis is a significant\u00a0moment.\u00a0Over six years on from\u00a0the\u00a0Grenfell\u00a0Tower\u00a0<\/wbr>tragedy, it is hugely positive and reassuring to see the Government listening to the united call of experts on fire safety, bringing greater coherence and certainty\u00a0for industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMandating second staircases in new homes over 18 metres is a vital step towards a safer built environment for all. We are pleased to have played our part in this.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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