The 14^th of June marks seven years since the Grenfell Tower fire when 72 people died. Following the tragedy, Sadiq Khan used his powers as Mayor of London to improve the fire safety of buildings. The London Plan (adopted in 2021) now includes policies to ensure fire safety is considered at the early stages of the design process and requires all building development proposals to achieve the highest standards of fire safety.

This change to the London Plan means the fire safety of new buildings must now be considered at the initial planning application and approval stages. This provides an important opportunity to amend layouts and incorporate features into a building’s design, so it meets the highest fire safety standards before reaching the Building Control stage.

Alongside this, the Mayor published specific fire safety guidance for councils which clearly explains what information they should receive from applicants for different types of development. Importantly, the guidance states the information should be provided by a registered fire safety expert, not those with general building regulations experience.

Despite this, planning applications in Enfield are being recommended for approval without the necessary fire safety information.

In 2023, Enfield’s planning committee considered a proposal to build supported living accommodation for 19 adults, receiving care from 10 staff. Planning officers recommended the application be approved, despite the developer not providing any fire safety information at the time. Likewise, the officer report provided to planning committee members did not refer to fire safety at all. At the planning meeting, a local resident and councillors expressed concern about the fire safety of the building, as well as the suitability of other aspects of its design. On this basis, the committee agreed to defer their decision to give the developer an opportunity to provide the information needed for them to assess the fire safety of the proposed supported living accommodation.

The scheme was brought back to the planning committee earlier this month and again the planning officers recommended it be approved. The developer had made a number of changes to the building’s design and this time had submitted a fire safety report. However, representations at the meeting showed the information provided failed to comply with the London Plan’s fire safety policies and the building’s design fell short of the legislated escape distances for safe evacuation during a fire. This is particularly concerning as the future residents are expected to have relatively limited mobility. It was also highlighted that the fire safety report had been prepared by someone who was not a suitably qualified assessor for the type of scheme, and therefore did not meet the standards set by the Mayor.

The planning committee’s initial preference was to reject the proposed development due to fire safety, along with other concerns they had about the standard of the accommodation and lack of privacy. However, a senior officer swayed the committee’s decision by incorrectly informing the committee that fire safety was not a planning matter and would be addressed at a later stage by Building Control. This information is incorrect: as per the Mayor’s London Plan, since 2021 fire safety must be addressed during the planning phase, which is well before Building Control stage. The committee were misled and should not have been persuaded to set aside their concerns about fire safety.

Examination of other recent planning applications reveals a similar disparity in compliance with the London Plan’s standards on fire safety. While some council officers demonstrate a clear grasp of the fire safety requirements, some of those in senior positions are showing a lack of understanding of the London Plan’s fire safety standards. Consequently, several major projects within the borough have received approval over the past year without fire safety being evaluated at the planning phase and without the requisite fire safety documentation being supplied. These oversights include the approval of a 95-bed care home, whose residents will predominantly be frail, older people, and those with age related dementia.

We believe the fire safety procedures and practices that Enfield Council are supposed to abide by are being disregarded far too often, and the standards set by the Mayor in response to the Grenfell Tower fire are not being met. Some senior officers are demonstrating poor planning practices and indifference regarding fire safety – given their influence over planning committee members, this could have serious consequences. We strongly urge Enfield Council to address this issue and to commit to ensuring all planning officers and planning committee members are fully informed about what is required from each of them in terms of fire safety, and the responsibilities they share for the safety of Enfield’s residents, particularly its most vulnerable.