Building Safety Regulator ‘expects’ to publish long-awaited second staircase guidance this week

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has confirmed it is expecting to publish its long-awaited technical guidance on second staircases rules before Easter.

A spokesperson for the BSR, which sits within the Health and Safety Executive, told Building Design’s sister title Housing Today it ”still expected that the guidance will be published by the end of March”.

This comes after London mayor Sadiq Khan said work on 38,000 homes has been halted due to uncertainty caused by the lack of technical guidance.

Khan added: “It has now been over a year since the government launched the consultation on the requirement for second staircases and they have yet to publish the technical details.

“This delay has resulted in many developers deciding not to pursue their proposals until there is clarity on the requirements. The current number of schemes referable to me affected by this delay is now nearly 38,000.”

> Also read: AHMM redesigns third London scheme to add second staircases

In December 2022, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC) published a consultation paper on plans to mandate second staircases on blocks over 30m in height, subsequently reduced to 18m.

But developers have been putting schemes on hold in order to see the technical guidance so they know what is required before deciding how to change their planned developments.

The government has yet to publish guidance on the technical detail, design or specification of second staircases.

> Also read: Squire & Partners’ £1.5bn Richmond scheme approved for the third time after second staircase changes

In January, a spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation said: “In the absence of any clear design standards from the government, clients are inevitably insisting on specifications well in excess of what is required for domestic residential schemes.

“The vacuum created is causing huge uncertainty and frustration, increasing costs and amidst a housing crisis, thwarting the delivery of apartment schemes.”

Developers including Peabody, Hill and Land Securities have all admitted to having put schemes on hold or into redesign due to the second staircase mandate, while Berkeley has said it could shift to low-rise building.

In October, housing secretary Michael Gove announced a 30-month grace period allowing developers time to adjust to the rules.