Camden has a substantial stock of mansion blocks and purpose-built flats dating from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods through to the mid-20th century. These buildings present distinctive fire safety challenges arising from their age, construction type and the cumulative effect of decades of alterations by individual leaseholders. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022 have significantly increased the obligations on building owners and managing agents to assess and manage fire risk in these buildings.
Mansion blocks were designed and built before modern fire safety standards existed. While their solid masonry construction provides inherent fire resistance, this original performance is frequently compromised by subsequent alterations. Common issues include service penetrations through compartment walls and floors that have not been fire-stopped, original timber entrance doors that do not provide the required fire resistance, alterations to communal lobbies and stairways that have reduced the effectiveness of escape routes, and concealed voids in floor and ceiling constructions that could allow fire and smoke to spread between flats.
The combination of period construction, accumulated alterations and high occupancy makes fire safety assessment in Camden's mansion blocks a priority for responsible building owners and managing agents.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced specific requirements for residential buildings, including mandatory annual inspection of flat entrance doors and quarterly inspection of communal fire doors in buildings over 18 metres, fire risk assessments that cover the external walls and individual flat entrance doors, and a requirement for the responsible person to share fire safety information with residents. The Building Safety Act 2022 imposes further obligations on higher-risk buildings, including the appointment of an Accountable Person and a Building Safety Manager for buildings over 18 metres.
Each flat in a mansion block should form a separate fire compartment, with walls, floors and doors providing the required period of fire resistance (typically 60 minutes for the structure and 30 minutes for doors). A compartmentation survey identifies breaches in the fire-resistant envelope — including unsealed service penetrations, gaps around pipe runs, compromised fire stopping and voids that allow fire spread — and provides a prioritised remediation schedule.
Fire doors are a critical element of compartmentation. In many Camden mansion blocks, original timber doors have been retained but do not provide the required FD30S performance (30 minutes fire resistance with intumescent strips and smoke seals). Some leaseholders may have replaced their entrance doors with non-compliant alternatives. A systematic fire door inspection programme is essential to identify non-compliant doors and plan a coordinated replacement programme.
While many Camden mansion blocks are of solid masonry construction with no combustible cladding, some have been over-clad, have had external insulation applied, or feature decorative elements that may contain combustible materials. A FRAEW assessment in accordance with PAS 9980:2022 determines whether the external wall system meets an acceptable standard of fire safety and identifies any remediation required.
Mansion blocks typically rely on a single protected stairway as the primary means of escape, supported by a stay-put strategy for residents not directly affected by the fire. The integrity of this strategy depends on effective compartmentation, compliant fire doors and adequate detection. Any compromise to these elements — such as fire doors being wedged open, missing self-closers or breached compartmentation — can undermine the stay-put approach and may require a change of evacuation strategy.
The starting point for any mansion block is a current, compliant fire risk assessment (FRA) carried out by a competent person. The FRA should cover the common parts, the external walls (as required by the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022) and should include a review of the building's evacuation strategy. The FRA will identify significant findings and prioritise them for action.
Following the FRA, a detailed compartmentation survey should be carried out to assess the integrity of fire-resistant barriers between flats, between flats and common parts, and around service risers and utility cupboards. A concurrent fire door inspection programme should assess all flat entrance doors and communal fire doors against current standards. The output is a prioritised remediation schedule with cost estimates.
Based on the survey findings, a remediation programme is developed covering fire stopping works, fire door upgrades or replacements, any external wall remediation and improvements to detection and alarm systems. For Camden mansion blocks with multiple leaseholders, this often requires consultation under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 if the works exceed the statutory threshold. Planning and managing this programme requires experience in both fire safety and residential leasehold management.
It depends on the building's height and external wall construction. Mansion blocks over 18 metres that have any form of external wall system other than plain masonry should have a FRAEW assessment carried out in accordance with PAS 9980:2022. Blocks under 18 metres may also benefit from a FRAEW if there are concerns about external wall construction or if an EWS1 form is required for mortgage lending. Many Camden mansion blocks are solid masonry and may only require a brief desktop assessment to confirm no further investigation is needed.
Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, residential buildings over 11 metres must have flat entrance doors that are self-closing and achieve at least FD30S standard. In buildings over 18 metres, flat entrance doors must be inspected annually and communal fire doors quarterly. Many Camden mansion blocks have original timber doors that do not meet these standards. A coordinated door inspection and replacement programme is typically needed to achieve compliance.
Compartmentation is the principle of dividing a building into fire-resistant compartments to prevent fire and smoke spread. In a mansion block, each flat should be a separate fire compartment. Over time, compartmentation is frequently compromised by service penetrations, leaseholder alterations, deterioration of fire doors and removal of fire stopping. A compartmentation survey identifies these breaches and provides a prioritised remediation programme to restore the building's fire resistance.
The ‘responsible person’ under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is typically the freeholder, managing agent or residents' management company. They are responsible for carrying out and maintaining a fire risk assessment, ensuring common parts are safe, and complying with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Individual leaseholders are responsible for fire safety within their own flats, but the responsible person retains overarching accountability for the building.
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