Fire Safety Upgrades to Listed Properties

FFT were appointed by AD Construction Group who were working on behalf of Islington Council to carry out fire safety upgrades to 18 listed properties located in a Conservation Area. Our role was to obtain the necessary building consent and required planning permissions so the properties could be made safe in line with Conservation Area regulations.

The Client

AD Construction Group Ltd, a long term client and contractor partner of FFT, is a privately owned specialist provider of refurbishment services to the public sector. Based in London, they have a geographical coverage across the whole of the South East and Home Counties.

AD provides planned maintenance, refurbishment, fire prevention works, and energy efficiency and decoration services.

Services Provided

• Building Surveying
• Design & Architecture

The Project

FFT were appointed by AD Construction Group Ltd to obtain listed building consent and to complete building control applications and full planning applications for 18 listed properties owned by Islington Council.

We were also tasked with preparing and submitting an overall ‘mother’ application to act for all non- listed properties owned by Islington Council, with a view to completing fire safety upgrades to each of the properties. This would include fire alarms, FD30(S) internal flat entrance doors, smoke detectors and emergency lighting.

All the applications had become necessary due to the age and locations of the buildings. Because there were heritage assets involved, all works and materials had to be compliant with the relevant Conservation Area regulations.

Our Role

Our role involved our CAD team undertaking measured surveys of all the communal areas of the properties. This would enable floor plans to be created to support the listed building consent applications, and full plans for passing through Building Control.

Site visits allowed us to accurately measure the various drawings, including a location and block plan, existing and proposed floor plans, and existing and proposed flat entrance door sets.

The drawings would then be used to support the applications with a view to obtaining planning approval, which would allow the vital works to be carried out and the properties made safe for the occupants.

The Challenges

One of the main challenges was working out how best to approach the applications, in particular those for the listed buildings.

The question was, would we be better off with one application per property, or would a single ‘mother’ application be more effective?

We also needed to confirm which products and doors would be considered acceptable for the listed buildings so that everything was in-keeping with the heritage assets.

A further challenge arose in terms of making sure communications were streamlined between us and AD Construction so that we received the correct proposed mark-ups from the electricians, such as the positioning of lighting within the properties.

It was imperative to get this right, as it would directly affect the drawings being submitted to planning and Building Control and could influence our success in receiving the necessary permissions for the works.

The Outcome

Our solution to the challenge of how best to prepare the applications for listed building consent was to liaise with a Planning Officer from the Listed Building Department at Islington Council to discuss what would be allowed within each property.

The clarification proved useful and allowed us to submit the application with the successful outcome of permission being granted for the required works.

In terms of liaising with AD Construction for the correct information from the electricians, this was resolved through effective communication, clearly explaining to them what was required for an application of this nature.

Our approach led to a fast turnaround in receiving the information so that we could submit the applications in good time.

The project was unusual in that it required writing heritage statements in-house for all the listed properties, as it was not possible to find a suitable Heritage Consultant for the listed building consent. This involved extensively researching the history of all 18 listed properties so that the applications could be prepared for submission, which is not typically part of the everyday duties of a CAD technician.

It was a satisfying project, ensuring properties could be updated in line with current fire safety legislation and made safe for residents, whilst making sure the proposed works were in-keeping with the heritage assets of the area so that the history and beauty of the buildings could be maintained.