Northern Ireland plans to change fire safety measures for buildings

A consultation in Northern Ireland seeks to change fire safety measures to local buildings.

The Department of Finance has issued proposals for new requirements for fire suppression systems and the duty to share fire safety information for buildings over 11 meters.

One industry body is urging the consultation that guidance should be provided on how to calculate property heights and a transition period of more than 12 months should be put in place.

Exceptions for residential properties

Propertymark specifies some exceptions for residential properties that would benefit from fire safety measures – for example, if there are a certain number of residents/units within that property despite it not being 11 metres in height.

The industry body is also advocating for a transition period of at least 12 months (instead of six months) to prevent a situation where a shortage of qualified professionals available to install new fire suppression systems leaves property owners in breach of the regulations despite their best efforts.

Agents need to receive clarity

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “As each nation establishes its response to the Grenfell Tower fire, it is important that agents receive clarity on which buildings will be affected and their responsibilities.

“It is, therefore, positive to see clarity from the Department of Finance as to how building safety changes will be implemented in Northern Ireland. We will continue to provide additional guidance for our members as further fire safety measures are brought forward.”

The full consultation proposals can be found here