Planning Gateway One Policy Development

In 2020, we were commissioned to support officials in the Greater London Authority during the examination in public phase of the London Plan 2020. The London Plan brought into scope, for the first time, the requirement to consider fire safety (as they related to land use, access and water provisions) through the development of policy D5 and D12. 

These policies brought together the need to produce a Fire Statement to demonstrate that compliance to relevant legislation had been met, and an appropriate basis had been created for further development of evidence to demonstrate building regulation compliance. 

The Fire Statement concept was the first of its kind and would encourage greater practice to ensure the highest standards of fire safety were set and agreed at the earliest stage of a project. The concept would go on to be adopted by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, where we were delighted to be invited to participate in the policy development and trialling under what is now known as Planning Gateway One. 

Our leadership and industry innovation during the development of Planning Gateway One has ensured that, together with central government, local planning authorities and the new Building Safety Regulator, the fire engineering sector mobilised to enable lasting cultural change, ensuring we develop and maintain safe buildings, both now and in the future.