Up to 4,000 additional homes have joined the 34,000 reported as being held up amid confusion over the second staircase regulation
A question raised by London Assembly member Sakina Sheikh over the plans to enforce the mandatory inclusion of a second staircase in residential buildings over 18 metres in height have highlighted delays and confusion in implementation.
Intended as a means of providing an additional escape route for residents and to allow clearer access for firefighters, the ruling was announced in July last year with a further clarification in October that it would not come into force until 2026 at the earliest.
Developers and planning officials alike are however still awaiting the technical details of what the regulations will entail and with uncertainty over key aspects, such as whether the two staircases can be in the same building core or must be kept separate, construction work and planning applications have ground to a halt.
Responding to the question raised by Sheikh, London mayor, Sadiq Khan said that the number of delayed homes had grown from the 34,000 reported in September 2023, to “nearly 38,000”.
He went on to say, “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. I understand that they have now committed to publishing this by the end of March.
“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.
“My officers do not have details on affected schemes which are not referable to me, which means the number of new homes whose delivery is being delayed by the lack of clarity around the requirements for second staircases is inevitably significantly higher.
“My housing and planning teams continue to work with DLUHC [the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities] to stress the urgency of providing the clarity to developers to help unlock the delivery of much needed homes in London.”
Responding to the mayor’s answer, Sheikh said: “The housing crisis is bad enough without the government making it worse. It’s not good enough that they’re missing their own deadlines for the rules new schemes need.
“Buildings over 18m should have a second staircase to allow residents to get out safely in an emergency. The uncertainty the delay is causing, however, means Londoners are seeing the homes they need get stuck in the planning system.”
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “Introducing second staircases in high-rise buildings is a key part of the government’s commitment to make homes safer, and we will be publishing amendments to statutory guidance in due course to further enhance the safety of new homes.
“This sits alongside millions of pounds of investment to boost housing delivery in the capital, as well as the housing secretary’s intervention in the London Plan this week to unlock further homes.”
This refers to a recent order by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, that the mayor review his London Plan for housing which he claimed was “holding back” delivery of housing.