Government seeks public’s views on new fire safety regulations
Ó An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitúil agus Oidhreachta
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Ó An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitúil agus Oidhreachta
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, and the Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell, have today launched a three-month public consultation on proposed amendments to Building Regulations relating to fire safety. The proposed changes aim to improve fire safety in new buildings and support the re-use of existing buildings by simplifying, clarifying and rationalising fire safety requirements.
The review is also a key action of the government’s Housing for All plan, which commits to an ongoing review of Building Regulations to drive compliance and standards through regulatory reform. Fire safety regulations for dwelling houses were updated in 2017. These regulations relate to fire safety requirements in all other buildings.
In addition to improving fire safety and supporting the re-use of existing buildings, the proposed technical guidance:
Urging people to submit their views, Minister O’Brien said:
“This review of fire safety in Ireland is vital in order to keep pace with the new and innovative ways we design and construct buildings. The proposals will also support the re-use of existing buildings, which will help in our aim of tackling vacancy and dereliction across our cities, towns and villages.
“Several developments have necessitated this review of our current building code: the construction of taller and larger buildings with more complex layouts; the use of new building systems and materials; and the installation of modern heating and ventilation systems. The improvements in energy performance have also necessitated this review.
“The industry needs fire safety guidance that is readable, understandable and readily implementable. I strongly encourage all those who may be impacted by the proposals to make their views known to the department.”
Minister O’Donnell said:
“The implementation of these proposals will ensure that our buildings are designed in such a way that people can continue to safely evacuate, in case of fire and that occupants are reasonably protected from the effects of an outbreak of fire in a building. In addition, these proposals will support the re-use of existing buildings by simplifying, clarifying and rationalising fire safety requirements for such buildings.”
The draft proposal takes into account:
The consultation page can be found at the below link:
Submissions should be emailed to partbconsultation@housing.gov.ie by 5pm on 21 April 2023.
To assist in making submissions, the following documents are available:
These can all be accessed at the following link:
Proposed amendments relate to the Building Regulations and associated Technical Guidance Document B – Fire Safety – Volume 1 – Buildings Other than Dwelling Houses.
The new technical guidance: