Builder It may be “playing with the system” to avoid fire safety rules made after the fire Glenfelta Tragedy, a fire chief warned.
Paul Jennings, Deputy Director London Fire Brigade Said that fire safety engineers inspected “hundreds or even thousands” of new buildings, which may have been “deliberately” designed to avoid the strict fire safety rules enacted after the Glenfelta fire in 2017.
They include those high-rise buildings that are designed to be below the 18-meter limit, which requires more advanced fire safety measures.
We have some examples where we think people deliberately design and build their buildings below this threshold
He told the BBC News Night: “We have some examples where we think people deliberately design and build buildings below the 18-meter, six-story threshold because they know that if this threshold is reached, they will have to adopt advanced and There are more complex fire safety measures.”
The deputy commissioner described these new buildings in the British capital as examples of “maybe playing with the system.”
He warned: “We may be expanding the remaining issues we have discovered so far. London And cities across the country. “
When asked how many new buildings are being built in London to circumvent these regulations, he said it could be “hundreds or even thousands.”
“We see about 60% of construction consulting entering the fire engineering team, while other consulting we are going backwards,” Mr. Jennings added.
The warning from the London Fire Brigade was on housing Secretary of State Michael Gove (Michael Gove) first appeared before a committee of parliamentarians that asked questions about building safety.
On Monday, Mr. Gove told the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: “We collectively-the department, some in the local government, others in the private sector-failed in Glenfell, and some people were and are there. In the building. It’s a major risk.”
He went on to say that as Grenfell Inquiry turned its attention to the government’s role in disasters, his department “on several occasions will be seen as not necessarily aware of the importance of fire safety.”
When asked who should pay for the work required to ensure the safety of the affected buildings, Mr. Gove confirmed that he will “suspend” the plan to let tenants pay for the repair work.
According to reports, some tenants were paid more than £100,000 in bills to replace unsafe cladding or to pay for so-called “awake watches”, in which case someone was hired to patrol the building to check for fires.
The Federation of Housing Builders, which represents housing developers, told News Night: “Developers comply with the building regulations set by the government without exception.
“Today’s standards are much stricter than previous iterations. Building regulations vary by building type, but they all focus on the safety of residents.”
The government stated: “The safety and well-being of residents is our top priority. The Building Safety Act will strengthen the supervision and protection of everyone in high-rise buildings.
“All new buildings at any height must comply with the fire safety requirements of building regulations. We have banned the use of all combustible materials on the exterior walls of new residential buildings over 18 meters.”
