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New government minister called for sprinklers to be made mandatory
A new minister in housing secretary Sajid Javid’s team called for building regulations to change to make sprinkler systems mandatory, in her role as a backbench MP.
Heather Wheeler, who took over the ministerial homelessness brief in January, urged the government during a debate on sprinklers in February 2014 to make the fitting of sprinklers mandatory in all new developments.
However, she was rebuffed by then housing minister Brandon Lewis, who said the government had committed to reduce regulation and “in that context” members of parliament “will understand why we want to exhaust all non-regulatory options before we introduce any new regulations”.
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Speaking in parliament, Ms Wheeler, who is MP for South Derbyshire, said she wanted her local council to encourage developers to install sprinkler systems in new build developments.
She said: “Nobody wants people to die unnecessarily. We all know that in Derbyshire… the number of fires has been reduced by 50% in the past six years or so. That is a fantastic story, but the vulnerable people and vulnerable areas where such problems persist can be identified. The fact that sprinkler systems would deal with that absolutely overnight is overwhelming, and I recommend that the minister gives us some joyous news later in his contemplations about English building regulations.”
Inside Housing’s Never Again campaign, launched following the Grenfell Tower fire, has called on the government to fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK.
However, it has since declined to do so, telling local authorities which asked for help that sprinklers were “additional, not essential” in high rises.
Speaking after the fire, Dany Cotton, commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said sprinklers should be fitted in all UK high rises.
Click here to read our in-depth investigation into building regulations
She said: “This can’t be optional; it can’t be a ‘nice to have’. This is something that must happen. If that isn’t one of the recommendations [of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry] then I will be so very disappointed.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We all want to make sure homes are safe for those who live in them.
“A number of fire protection measures are needed to provide a suitable standard of safety in a building. These can include smoke alarms, fire compartmentation and smoke control.”
Never Again campaign
Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire
Never Again: campaign asks
Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
LANDLORDS
- Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
- Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
GOVERNMENT
- Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
- Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.
