The Building Control Process and Fire Strategies

Building control approval is the formal approval that a building's design and construction meet the requirements of the Building Regulations. For most buildings, fire safety is assessed as part of the building control process, and a fire strategy report is the primary document used by the building control body to assess fire safety compliance.

Understanding what building control bodies look for in a fire strategy report — and why fire strategies are sometimes rejected or queried — is essential knowledge for any developer, architect or fire engineer working on the UK's built environment.

What Building Control Bodies Look For

• Clear identification of the applicable codes and standards — ADB, BS 9991, BS 9999 — and demonstration of compliance or justified alternative approach
• Accurate travel distance calculations based on the actual layout shown in the drawings
• Clear compartmentation strategy with fire resistance periods specified for all elements
• Identified means of escape that can be followed on the submitted drawings
• Specification of fire doors and their required performance standards
• Adequate firefighting access and facilities — rising mains, firefighting shafts where required
• Coordination between the fire strategy and the architectural and structural drawings

Common Reasons for Building Control Rejection

• Travel distances that exceed ADB limits without compensating measures
• Missing compartmentation details — fire strategy specifies compartmentation but drawings do not show it
• Inconsistency between the fire strategy and the drawings — strategy describes one layout, drawings show another
• Inadequate means of escape for mobility-impaired occupants
• Missing or inadequate firefighting access
• Structural fire protection specifications that do not meet requirements

How to Get It Right First Time

The most effective way to achieve building control approval first time is to ensure that the fire strategy is coordinated with the design. A fire strategy that is produced in isolation from the drawings — based on a previous version of the design or without reference to the current layout — will almost certainly require revision.

Fire Safety Services produces fire strategies that are specifically coordinated with the submitted drawings. We cross-reference every key fire engineering element — travel distances, compartment sizes, escape route widths — against the actual drawings, and flag any inconsistencies before submission.