As we reported in June, there’s been a bit of a humdinger of a row going on over the Welsh Assembly’s decision to impose sprinklers as a requirement for all new builds.
But is there a sense of contrition in the air? Has the Department of Communities and Local Government won the argument, at least in part?
As many of our own readers pointed out, the effectiveness of the policy was severely undermined by the fact that the sprinklers would not be going into existing high-risk premises, such as Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) or social housing, but instead would be fitted in brand new residential properties only.
Now it seems that the implementation is being delayed.
The story so far
In February 2011, the National Assembly for Wales passed the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure. The purpose of the Measure is to allow the Assembly to introduce regulations which would make automatic fire suppression systems compulsory in all new and converted homes.
The way this will be enacted is by changing to Part B of the Building Regulations, and to Approved Document B, which relates to domestic premises.
Between the end of March and mid-June the Assembly launched a formal consultation on its proposals. This included two consultation events for stakeholders hosted in May and June.
Statement
On July 17, 2013, Carl Sargeant, who became Minister for Housing and Regeneration in March, issued a statement describing his main priority as the building of new homes. The reason for this, he said, is to meet housing needs, generate growth and jobs, provide work, and ameliorate the effects of the bedroom tax (which penalises benefits claimants whose homes are perceived to be larger than they need). His statement goes on to describe the scaling back of various ambitious plans, including those for energy efficiency improvements and for sprinklers. He said:
As a former industrial firefighter I am personally committed to implement the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure which was passed by the National Assembly in February 2011. I am grateful to the construction industry and the fire-related safety sector for their continued interest in this issue.
Fire sprinklers in new residential properties will prevent death and injury to householders and firefighters. However, at a time when resources are tight, I have decided to focus effort initially at high risk properties where this measure will have the greatest impact.
From April 2014, the regulations will apply to high-risk properties, such as care homes, new and converted student halls of residence, boarding houses, and certain hostels, and by January 2016 to all new and converted houses and flats. This phasing will allow the house-building industry to gain experience and skills, and gives the sector the opportunity to innovate and reduce the costs of installing sprinklers. The approach will continue to set Wales apart as a leader in promoting fire safety.
Political football
So it seems that very few properties are being affected for the time being. Just how many new student halls of residence, hostels, etc. are likely to be built each year in Wales?
And then we have to observe that the majority of new builds won’t be affected until after the next general election in 2015. So in fact this might never come into effect at all for the majority of housing, depending on the views of those in power after that time.
There is no doubt that sprinklers save lives. The move to include them in higher-risk new and converted properties is certainly a start. Yet for those who thought that sprinklers might finally become the norm in British housing, this must feel like a faltering start.
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