Findings from Fire Engineer’s Report on New England House shared
Brighton & Hove City Council has shared extracts from a fire engineer’s report with the business tenants detailing significant fire safety risks at New England House. This report necessitated the council's decision to temporarily close the building at short notice on Friday, 8 November.
The fire engineer’s report, commissioned directly by the council, provides a comprehensive analysis of the fire safety issues within the building. The key conclusion of the report is that the level of risk is deemed ‘intolerable’, requiring immediate action.
The report highlights potential fire spread and compartmentation breaches, raising serious concerns about the fire safety of the premises.
Key points from the fire engineer's report include:
- Many fire safety issues cannot be adequately addressed with current control measures.
- Compartmentation of some business units is compromised, with over 1000 inadequacies documented.
- No fire protection for staircases, posing serious risks if the façade fails during evacuation.
- Current fire detection does not cover all necessary areas.
- Inadequate arrangements for evacuating disabled individuals.
- Electrical installation has exceeded its useful life; concerns about exposed distribution boards with combustible materials contained in tenant areas.
- Firefighting provisions are unsuitable and difficult to manage.
- Many Fire Risk Assessments within individual businesses are not adequate.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, Cabinet Member for Finance and City Regeneration, commented on the closure: “I want to offer the council’s sincerest apology to all those affected. This is not a decision the council took lightly or without consideration for the tenants.
“However, given the information we received from the fire engineer’s report, it was a difficult yet necessary action to keep people safe.
“We completely understand the disruption, confusion, and anxiety this temporary closure has caused.
“The council remains dedicated to supporting the tenants of New England House and is working diligently to address the findings and implement the required safety measures to reopen the building as soon as possible.”
A meeting for all New England House tenants has been scheduled for Monday 11 November to discuss the report’s findings and the necessary actions moving forward.
