Fire Strategy for Flats and Apartment BlocksWhat a fire strategy for a residential block needs to address
A fire strategy for a block of flats must address the specific characteristics of the building: how many storeys it has, how many occupants it serves, whether it has a single staircase or multiple, and what the construction type is. These variables determine the evacuation strategy — whether the building operates a stay-put policy, a simultaneous evacuation, or a phased evacuation — and from that, the compartmentation standard, detection and alarm provision, and smoke control requirements all follow.
Fire strategy reports for flats are required at multiple stages of a project. For new-build residential blocks, a fire strategy is required at Gateway 1 (planning) and Gateway 2 (pre-commencement) under the Building Safety Act 2022, and must be submitted to the Building Safety Regulator for higher-risk buildings. For conversions of existing buildings into flats, building control requires a fire strategy demonstrating how the conversion achieves compliance with Approved Document B. In London, London Plan Policy D12a requires a fire safety statement for relevant planning applications, of which the fire strategy is the core technical document.
The applicable standards depend on the height and occupancy of the building. For buildings up to 11 metres, Approved Document B sets the baseline. Between 11 and 18 metres, additional requirements apply including protected lobbies to stairwells and enhanced compartmentation. Above 18 metres, buildings are classified as higher-risk under the Building Safety Act 2022 and must be registered with and approved by the Building Safety Regulator. BS 9991:2015 is the primary code of practice for all residential fire safety design.
