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Letter: Health & Safety Executive Will Comment on Safety of High-rise Buildings in Guildford

Published on: 15 Sep, 2023
Updated on: 15 Sep, 2023

St Edward’s revised southern and eastern elevations of “Block E” in the new planning application.

From: SCC Spokesperson

In response to: Could Surrey’s Fire Service Deal With Emergencies in the Tall Buildings Planned for Guildford?

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has not been directly involved with the planning stage of this development, which is in accordance with current practice and is therefore unable to provide a comment on access to the buildings by our fire appliances.

For this type of high-rise building consultation the Health and Safety Executive will provide comment on the fire safety aspects, this change was brought in as part of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations.

The HSE has updated SFRS on its responses to the Guildford Planning Authority and we remain satisfied as to its content. Once the development is in the building stage, SFRS will be further consulted under building regulations, this will provide a further opportunity to consider access to the buildings.

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Responses to Letter: Health & Safety Executive Will Comment on Safety of High-rise Buildings in Guildford

  1. Jim Allen Reply

    September 15, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    Absolutely wonderful! We know that towers are being built, we know their longest ladders will not reach the top, and never will, but they won’t make comment while the concept is in the planning stage. Instead they will wait until it is built then find faults and demand changes or mitigation.

    It is the same reaction to that given to HGV reversing at Aldi.

    Why won’t HSE and/or the fire service look at the plans and respond with commentary to confirm that they understand the drawings, they have taken into account the 30 minute fire doors, the planned fire escapes and the road space required for their fire engines?

    The agencies should be working together and they should stop putting of till tomorrow what can be sorted today.

  2. Bibhas Neogi Reply

    September 15, 2023 at 7:22 pm

    Will it not be too late once the development is in the building stage?

    SFRS should be consulted during the detailed design stage to ensure buildings and their surrounding areas are accessible to Fire Engines.

    This is a development that contains a number of buildings and not all have road frontage.

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