Built Environment Breakfast Briefing: The Impact of New Fire Safety Regulations in High-Rise Residential Planning

In this Panoramic Associates Breakfast Briefing, we hear from Mark Baigent, Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture at London Borough of Redbridge, who discusses the impact and changes of new safety regulations in high-rise residential planning and the evolving landscape in building and fire safety regulations over recent years. These latest changes have significantly impacted planning decisions, which are especially notable in areas like Ilford.

We hope you find this talk synopsis insightful, please read on to discover a summary of Baigent’s Q&A section.

Seven years ago, the tragic Grenfell Tower fire triggered huge fire safety reforms in the London housing industry, exposing widespread shortcomings of construction safety. Since then, safety alterations now include establishing new building safety regulations, revising improved fire safety guidelines, and notably adding a stringent requirement for a second staircase in buildings over eighteen meters high.

Mark Baigent stated in his discussion ‘The combined necessity of these essential changes has caused delays in various projects due to detailed guidance and transitional uncertainties.’

In high-rise residential developments, regulatory changes have disrupted progress, as seen in Ilford’s town centre development. Original approved plans had to be reassessed to integrate second staircases, adjust parking for electric vehicle charging, and meet rigorous safety standards, challenging the commitment to deliver 35% affordable housing.

Despite adjustments, developers still face challenges maintaining viability, leading to taller building designs to cover safety upgrade costs. This highlights the financial and reassessment complexities developers must navigate due to evolving standards. The project’s planning success remains uncertain, with possible amendments needed for regulatory and economic obstacles. A council-led redevelopment also faces feasibility and compliance challenges, emphasising the difficulties in adapting to new urban planning regulations.

Mr Baigent has noted a shift in council redevelopment projects towards external developers due to financial constraints limiting extensive borrowing. Enhancing fire safety standards increases construction costs and reduces residential and external spaces, which complicates project viability. Addressing these challenges demands modern solutions from architects and developers, such as adjusting building heights, unit sizes, and affordable housing percentages. Mark also highlights the strain on grant rates in the affordable housing sector commenting,

‘It’s a particular challenge for the affordable housing sector because grant rates are already stretched to the limit. How are they going to find the additional cost to cover those additional costs? How are they going to finance that?’.

Additionally, housing associations in London are shifting from private sector-led agreements to self-managed projects, leading to delivery schemes being undermined. Registered providers are scaling back their development ambitions, focusing instead on projects they can control and deliver themselves. Consequently, there’s a need for someone to ensure the provision of affordable housing within these private-led developments Baigent finishes.

Mark Baigent concluded his talk with an open Q&A discussion, please read on for a summary of his answers.

Initially, they expanded buildings outward but lost usable floor space due to the staircase, which could have added more floors. Is this building approach viable in your region, and what is the planners’ perspective on it?

‘It was a solution that worked for us and it got through the planning stages. But it won’t always work. My understanding is that sometimes adding two or three more stories, even if it looks good in terms of sales, increases the build cost so greatly, that it outweighs the advantage. Developers quite often have a limit on the height they’re willing to build to, based on those cost issues rather than anything else.’

Do you think that other local planners across London will be more sympathetic to building higher as a solution?

‘Building height is a controversial topic among people across the country. In London, there’s a huge voice saying ‘We’ve got to allow these taller buildings in the right locations’. So I think it’s more about the location than the height. But each local context is going to define that debate and some planners will find it much harder than others to accommodate that.
I think from my point of view it seems like one of the easiest ways of addressing this issue (provided the cost implications and the engineering build implications don’t defeat it). I think we have to build higher.’

Would you consider reducing the number of required affordable homes if private developers face economic constraints? For example, if the target is fifty affordable homes, would you accept thirty-five or fewer to ensure the project’s progress?

‘That’s the toughest call. No one wants to be seen to be backing down on the level of affordable housing because London needs it so desperately. In Redbridge, we have over three thousand households in temporary accommodation, and we don’t have existing affordable housing to accommodate all those people. We desperately need new affordable housing to be built. From a planning and political standpoint, we must make tough decisions when projects fall short of our goals but still proceed. We consider review mechanisms to adjust requirements later if viability improves.’

Panoramic Associates extends a big thank you to Mark Baigent for sharing his time and knowledge with us. His insights highlight the profound impact of changing safety regulations on high-rise residential planning in London. The Grenfell Tower tragedy has spurred significant reforms, and while developers navigate increased costs and reassessment complexities, creative solutions, a flexible approach to planning, and compassion towards affordable housing are crucial.

To hear more about this topic and explore further questions and solutions, we invite you to watch the full event. Follow the link here to join the conversation on the future of urban development in Britain.

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