Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Fire Safety: Local Authority Planning

Monday 3 March 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Camden council's approach to fire safety in an application to construct a 400-guest underground hotel raised concerns from the London Fire Brigade.
  • Labour councillors in York delivered the first local plan since 1954, a significant milestone for the city.
  • The Government have chosen not to take forward the Grenfell report recommendation regarding certification bodies for materials safety.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Policing & Resources Local Government Environment
Context

An architect constituent alerted Dave Doogan to concerns about fire safety in a Camden council planning application for an underground hotel. The London Fire Brigade expressed serious concerns that were reportedly ignored by the local authority.

Question

An architect constituent of mine alerted me to his concerns about Camden council’s approach to fire safety in an application to construct a 400-guest underground hotel. At the planning stage, the London Fire Brigade expressed serious concerns that the proposed safety features would be difficult to maintain and dangerous were they to fail. A freedom of information request revealed that the London Fire Brigade’s fire safety compliance team felt their concerns were ignored by Camden council at planning. Will the Minister commit to reviewing regulations to see whether they are sufficient to ensure that local authorities in England properly attend to serious concerns raised by local fire brigades?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)

I am not sure that I can comment on the application the hon. Gentleman is talking about, as it will, of course, have been subject to the planning process as established in law. However, I can say that one of the changes that the Deputy Prime Minister made early on in our time in government was to ensure that approved document B can be updated quickly and in real time, so that if issues are highlighted, the regulations can keep up and buildings can be kept safe.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specifically avoided committing to review regulations for adequacy and effectiveness.

How: I Am Not Sure That I Can Comment On The Application

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Luke Charters Lab York Outer
Local Government
Context

Local authorities need planning officers to ensure applications are processed quickly, and York delivered its first local plan since 1954.

Question

Last week, Labour councillors in York delivered the first local plan—are you ready for this, Mr Speaker?—since 1954, for which they should be commended, but local authorities need planning officers if they are to ensure that applications can be processed quickly. Will the Minister update the House on plans to increase the number of planning officers?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)

I fondly remember—at least, I think I do—our consideration of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith) remembers it, too. At every sitting of the Public Bill Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) said that York had never produced a plan, so I was overjoyed when I heard from the leader of York council this morning that it had had that success. Of course, making these things real involves really good planners, which is why we are pleased to have made a further £46 million available for planning capacity.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Standards & Ethics Environment
Context

The Government have not taken forward the Grenfell report recommendation relating to certification bodies on materials safety.

Question

We note that the Government have chosen not to take forward the Grenfell report recommendation relating to certification bodies on materials safety. Given the previous Minister’s failure to reply to my questions on the new use of European standards in respect of fire performance, will the new Minister assure the House that we can be absolutely confident that the fire safety performance regulations in place are clear, robust and effective?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)

They will be all those things; I believe that is a shared goal. For clarity, we are taking forward the recommendations. As we stated last week, we do not think that the testing houses ought to be under the purview of a single construction regulator, as that would mean that the regulator would essentially mark its own homework if there was a problem. I know Opposition Members have a problem with this, and I am more than happy to speak about it in greater detail. We are looking very closely at European standards, as the hon. Gentleman will have seen in the “Construction Products Reform” Green Paper. Alignment with those European standards is probably a desirable goal, but that is subject to the ongoing consultation. We are very clear that the current regime does not cover enough construction products. There is not enough transparency or accountability when things go wrong. Our desire, as has been expressed from the Dispatch Box, is for a very high standards regime, and I look forward to working with Opposition Members in service of that shared goal.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Avoided providing clear assurance about current regulations' effectiveness, mentioning ongoing consultation instead.

How: Subject To The Ongoing Consultation

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email