Part 2Crown development applications

Chapter 1Applications and publicity

Fire statements

article 8 + 8.—(1) Paragraph (4) applies to a Crown development application for planning permission for—

article 8 1 a + (a)development which involves the provision of one or more buildings to which paragraph (2) applies (“a relevant building”),

article 8 1 b + (b)development of an existing relevant building, or

article 8 1 c + (c)development within the curtilage of a relevant building.

(2) This paragraph applies to a building which satisfies the height condition in paragraph (3) and contains—

article 8 2 a + (a)two or more dwellings, or

article 8 2 b + (b)educational accommodation.

(3) The height condition is that—

article 8 3 a + (a)the building is 18 metres or more in height, or

article 8 3 b + (b)the building contains 7 or more storeys.

(4) An application for planning permission to which this paragraph applies must, except where paragraph (6) applies, be accompanied by a statement (“a fire statement”) about the fire safety design principles, concepts and standards that have been applied to the development.

(5) A fire statement must—

article 8 5 a + (a)be on a form published by the Secretary of State (or a form substantially to the same effect), and

article 8 5 b + (b)include the particulars specified or referred to in the form.

(6) This paragraph applies—

article 8 6 a + (a)where the application is—

article 8 6 a i + (i)for a material change in use of a relevant building, and

article 8 6 a ii + (ii)the material change of use would result in the building no longer being a relevant building;

article 8 6 b + (b)where the application is—

article 8 6 b i + (i)for a material change in use of land or buildings within the curtilage of a relevant building, and

article 8 6 b ii + (ii)the material change of use would not result in the provision of one or more relevant buildings;

article 8 6 c + (c)to an application for outline planning permission.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (3)—

article 8 7 a + (a)the height of a building is to be measured from ground level to the top floor surface of the top storey of the building (ignoring any storey which is a roof-top machinery or plant area or consists exclusively of machinery or plant rooms);

article 8 7 b + (b)when determining the number of storeys a building has—

article 8 7 b i + (i)any storey which is below ground level is to be ignored, and

article 8 7 b ii + (ii)any mezzanine floor is a storey if its internal floor area is at least 50% of the internal floor area of the largest storey in the building which is not below ground level.

(8) For the purpose of this article a storey is treated as below ground level if any part of the finished surface of the ceiling of the storey is below the ground level immediately adjacent to that part of the building.

(9) In this article—

term 16 to 19 academy + “16 to 19 Academy” has the meaning given by section 1B of the Academies Act 2010(1);

term boarder + “boarder” includes a student who boards during the week but not at weekends;

term dwelling + “dwelling” includes a flat;

term educational accommodation + “educational accommodation” means—

term further education + “further education” has the meaning given by section 2 of the Education Act 1996(2);

term ground level + “ground level”, in relation to a building, means the level of the surface of the ground immediately adjacent to the building or, where the level of the surface of the ground on which the building is situated or is to be situated is not uniform, the level of the lowest part of the surface of the ground adjacent to it;

term higher education course + “higher education course” means a course of any description mentioned in Schedule 6 to the Education Reform Act 1988(3) or an equivalent course outside England;

term school + “school” has the meaning given by section 4 of the Education Act 1996(4).