Fire statements for a mixed use podium scheme
A podium scheme is two buildings sharing a base. Separating escape, getting an appliance to the deck, coordinating smoke control and setting out management duties.
A mixed use podium fire statement has to describe two buildings that happen to share a base. Residential above, commercial below, one structure, two escape philosophies, two management regimes and one fire service access strategy that has to serve both. For relevant buildings, the statement is a national requirement on the planning application and the Health and Safety Executive is a statutory consultee at Planning Gateway One, so the questions arrive early and the answers have to be spatial: where the escape routes go, how the uses are separated, where an appliance stands, and how the podium deck is reached.
The commonest weakness in these submissions is a statement written for the residential tower with the retail base treated as context.
Separating residential and commercial escape
Residential escape in a tall block usually assumes that occupants in unaffected flats stay put, with compartmentation containing the fire and a protected stair for those who need to leave. Commercial escape assumes simultaneous evacuation on alarm, with travel distances and exit capacity sized for the occupant numbers.
Those two philosophies cannot share a stair without careful design. The consequences to show at planning stage:
- separate escape stairs and separate final exits for the residential and commercial uses
- residential escape routes that do not pass through commercial space, including the service yard
- commercial escape that discharges to a place of safety without crossing the residential entrance
- a residential entrance and core entered directly from the street, not through the retail unit's frontage
- separation of any shared lobby, with the fire strategy stating how it is protected
Where the site is tight, the temptation is to share a stair or to route a commercial exit through a residential lobby. Both can be engineered in limited circumstances, and both will draw a consultee comment, so if you propose one, say why and say who signed it off.
Podium level access for appliances
Fire service access is the issue that most often changes the drawings. Approved Document B sets requirements for appliance access to the perimeter and for the proximity of hydrants and fire mains inlets, and the figures should be confirmed against the current edition rather than remembered.
On a podium scheme the specific questions are:
- Can an appliance reach a hard standing within the required distance of the residential fire main inlet, at street level or on the deck.
- If access is on the deck, is the slab designed for appliance loading, and is the route continuous.
- Where is the hydrant, and is it within the required distance of the inlet.
- Can the appliance get in and out without reversing an unacceptable distance.
- Does the landscape design on the podium keep that route clear, including trees, planters and play equipment.
Designing appliance access onto a podium deck is expensive, because the slab loading and the ramp gradient both drive structure. Getting the inlet and the stair to the street frontage instead is usually the less costly answer, and it is a layout decision taken at concept stage.
Smoke control across uses
Each use needs its own smoke control provision, and the systems should be independent. A residential corridor smoke shaft, a commercial smoke extract for a retail unit or car park, and any basement extract are separate systems with separate controls and separate power supplies.
What matters at planning stage is spatial: the shafts take space in the core, the extract and inlet louvres appear on the elevations, and the plant takes roof or podium space that the landscape or the renewables were also promised. Coordinate those three claims on the same drawing before submission, because a louvre added at technical design in place of a window is a change to the approved elevation.
Car park ventilation deserves particular attention on podium schemes, since the car park usually sits inside the podium with residential above, and the extract route has to go somewhere visible.
Servicing routes and strategy conflicts
Servicing and fire strategy compete for the same ground. The loading bay wants to be where the appliance wants to stand. The refuse store wants to be on the fire service route. The commercial plant wants the frontage where the dry riser inlet needs to be.
Resolve the conflicts explicitly in the statement rather than leaving three consultants' drawings to contradict each other. A single plan showing the appliance position, the inlets, the hydrants, the refuse route, the loading bay and the residential entrance is the most useful drawing in the submission. The Fire Statement should reference it.
Where the scheme includes a service yard shared between uses, state who controls access and how the fire service route through it is kept clear, because a gated yard with a key holder arrangement is a management commitment that belongs in the statement.
What the statement must address for each use
| Matter | Residential | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Evacuation philosophy | Usually stay put, with a protected stair | Simultaneous evacuation on alarm |
| Escape routes | Protected corridors and stairs, separate final exits | Travel distances and exit capacity by occupancy |
| Provision for disabled occupants | Evacuation lift or refuge strategy, and the management arrangement | Refuges and assisted escape under the responsible person's plan |
| Fire main | Dry or wet riser to the residential core | As required by the unit size and depth |
| External wall construction | Stated in principle, materials described | Stated in principle |
| Smoke control | Corridor or lobby system | Unit or car park extract |
| Management | Freeholder or management company | Responsible person for each unit |
Provision for the evacuation of disabled residents is a matter the statement is expected to address at planning stage, and on a podium scheme the evacuation lift and its power supply affect the core, so it belongs in the same conversation as the firefighting shaft. The fuller Fire Safety Strategy to the relevant British Standard follows at technical design and is a fire engineering document.
Management arrangements after occupation
Mixed use buildings fail at the interfaces, and most interfaces are managed rather than built. Say who is responsible for what:
- the responsible person for each commercial unit under the fire safety order
- the freeholder or management company for the residential common parts
- who holds the fire strategy and who updates it when a tenant fits out
- how a change of commercial use, for example a retail unit becoming a restaurant, is assessed against the fire strategy
- who keeps the fire service route and the yard clear, and how that is enforced in the leases
A restaurant taking a unit designed for retail changes the fire risk, and the planning application for that change of use is the moment to revisit the strategy. Flagging it in the original statement makes that easy later.
Evidence the consultee expects
Keep the statement proportionate and spatial. Plans at each level showing compartmentation lines in principle, escape routes and final exits. A site plan with appliance access, hard standing, inlets and hydrants. Elevations showing louvres and any external wall build-up described in principle. A short narrative on the evacuation strategy for each use and on provision for disabled occupants. And a statement of who prepared it and on what competence basis.
That last point is not optional. The statement has to be prepared by someone with the necessary fire engineering competence, and an AI-assisted draft is a starting point for that professional, not a substitute for their judgement. The professional directory is the route to a reviewer, and our note on disproportionate collapse and building class covers the structural thresholds that land on the same drawings.
Draft your fire statement in minutes on PlanScope, then send it for review by a fire engineer before submission.
This is general guidance, not legal advice; check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it. PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
Why can residential and commercial escape not share a stair?
Because the philosophies differ. Residential blocks generally rely on compartmentation and a stay put approach with a protected stair, while commercial floors are designed for simultaneous evacuation on alarm with exit capacity sized to occupancy. Sharing a stair can be engineered in limited circumstances, but it will attract consultee comment and needs competent justification.
Does the fire service need access onto the podium deck?
Only if the building cannot be served from street level within the distances Approved Document B requires for appliance access and fire main inlets. Deck access means designing the slab for appliance loading and keeping a continuous route clear, which is expensive, so bringing the residential inlet and stair to the street frontage is usually the better answer.
Should smoke control systems be shared between uses?
No. Residential corridor systems, commercial or car park extract and basement extract should be independent, with separate controls and power supplies. At planning stage the consequence is spatial: shafts take core area and louvres appear on elevations, competing with windows, plant and renewables for the same roof and podium space.
What does a fire statement have to say about disabled residents?
It should address provision for the evacuation of residents who cannot use stairs, whether through an evacuation lift, refuges or a management arrangement. On a podium scheme the evacuation lift and its power supply affect the core layout, so it belongs in the same discussion as the firefighting shaft rather than being deferred to technical design.
Who can prepare a fire statement?
Someone with the necessary fire engineering competence, since the statement supports consultation with the Health and Safety Executive at Planning Gateway One. A drafted document gives you the structure and the questions to answer, and a competent professional supplies the judgements and takes responsibility for them before submission.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.