Independent Section Review Services for Higher-Risk Buildings

An independent section is a defined part of a wider building that can be treated as a separate building when applying the higher-risk building regime.

To qualify, the section must have access for people to enter and exit the wider building that can be reached from anywhere within that section. It must also either have no access to another section of the wider building, or only have access to another section that does not contain a residential unit.

Access intended only for exceptional use, emergency use or maintenance is treated differently under the regulations.

Determining whether an area qualifies as an independent section can change how the higher-risk building criteria are applied.

If a section qualifies, it can be treated as a separate building for the purposes of the higher-risk building regime. That section must then be assessed against the relevant height or storey threshold and use criteria.

Qualifying as an independent section does not automatically mean that the section is, or is not, a higher-risk building.

Yes, where the statutory independent section criteria are satisfied.

The section can then be considered as its own building for the purposes of assessing whether the higher-risk building regime applies.

The assessment should consider the layout, entrances and exits, connections to other parts of the building, residential use and the relevant height and storey measurements.

Not in the same way.

While a new building is being constructed or is proposed to be constructed, the provisions that allow an overall structure to be divided into independent sections do not apply.

Where multiple structures are attached as part of a new development, the overall connected structure is therefore considered when determining whether the building falls within the higher-risk building regime during design and construction.

Once construction is complete, it may be possible for parts of the overall structure to be considered independent sections for the occupation regime.

Yes. For an existing building, it may be possible for a defined part of the wider structure to qualify as an independent section.

If it does, that section is treated as its own building for the purposes of the higher-risk building regime and must then be assessed against the applicable height, storey and use criteria.

This can be particularly important where proposed work affects only one part of a complex or connected development.

Not necessarily.

For the statutory independent section test, “access” means a doorway, archway or similar opening. However, an opening intended only for exceptional use, including emergency use or maintenance, is excluded from that definition.

The intended and actual function of the connection therefore needs to be considered carefully as part of the assessment.

Potentially, but it depends on how the towers are connected.

A section must have its own appropriate means of entering and exiting the wider building and must either have no access to another section or only have access to another section that does not contain a residential unit.

Where occupants can move directly between two residential sections through normal access arrangements, the individual sections may not satisfy the independent section criteria.

The precise configuration should be reviewed against the statutory requirements.

Yes, but sharing a basement, podium or other part of a wider structure does not automatically prevent an area from being an independent section.

For example, access to another section that does not contain a residential unit may still be compatible with the independent section definition.

The review needs to consider the use of the connecting area, its entrances and exits, how people move between sections and whether any connected section contains residential units.

Once a section has been identified as an independent section, the applicable rules for measuring height and counting storeys must be applied to that section.

The regulations include specific provisions for independent sections. For example, certain storeys directly beneath an independent section may need to be included when determining the number of storeys.

This means the assessment should not simply count the visibly occupied floors within the proposed section.

No.

Independent section status determines what is treated as the “building” for the relevant assessment. The resulting building must still be tested against the applicable higher-risk building criteria.

An independent section may therefore qualify as a higher-risk building, while another independent section within the same wider structure may not.

The information required will depend on the building, but a review will typically consider architectural drawings, floor plans, sections, site layouts, building uses, residential units, entrances and exits, connections between different parts of the building and the purpose of any shared or connecting areas.

Information about emergency-only and maintenance access may also be required.

Clear and current drawings are particularly important because the physical relationship between different sections is central to the assessment.

BSAC can review the relevant drawings, layouts, building uses, entrances, exits and connections between sections against the statutory independent section criteria.

Our assessment can consider access and connectivity, emergency or maintenance-only connections, residential use and the applicable higher-risk building criteria.

We can then provide a documented review setting out the information considered, relevant statutory provisions, assumptions, methodology, findings and conclusion to help establish the appropriate regulatory route for the building.