90 Sloane Avenue Case Study, UK
A long-term SOCOTEC UK client, Dakota Consulting Ltd., came to the Fire Engineering team with a problem: Due to a resource issue the incumbent fire engineer was unable to deal with the quick turnaround required. They returned to SOCOTEC as a trusted partner, knowing the level of help they could receive, even with a short turnaround time.
Key Information
- Client : Dakota Consulting Ltd.
- Location : 90 Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, UK
- Year : 2025 (fire strategy revision and delivery)
Project description and background
The project revolves around a proposal to completely demolish an existing building in Chelsea, London, before re-building it.
Currently, the building features a car park, retail area and residential flats, while the new proposal is to build a new building, with a similar kind of layout. But with cars being less of a demand in Central London, and a higher level of interest in cycle stores to meet the demand for cycling, a switch has been proposed.
This brings with it a requirement for a modern safety interpretation for residential buildings to be met. This would include water suppression system (i.e., sprinklers), alongside a non-combustible façade that is compliant with Regulation 7(2) of the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended).
Solution
The client began in 2022 with that concept and had a different fire engineer onboard. The project was rapidly approaching its deadline, with regards to funders requirements relating to a current planning consent.
Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, fire safety regulations have undergone significant changes. This meant the original fire strategy from 2022 was outdated by 2025 standards, requiring a complete revision to meet current safety requirements.
So, SOCOTEC’s Fire Engineering team were tasked with turning this around and creating a strategy that could be used by the design team – the turnaround time was over a week. An initial conversation was held on a Thursday, before Principal Fire Engineer, Tabea Uhr, wrote the draft report over the weekend. The draft was submitted into SOCOTEC’s internal Quality Assurance system on Sunday to fellow Senior Fire Engineer, Humza Khan.
This was then confirmed on the Monday, and SOCOTEC issued to the design team by close of play that day.
This was an emergency situation, with a client who SOCOTEC was very familiar with, and proved how the Fire Engineering team could provide a client with critically important information at such short notice.
The project is at the concept design (RIBA Stage 2 in the architectural process). However, given the height of the building and the location in London, it falls under specific planning laws (London Plan, Policies D5 and D12, Fire Statement), leading to a detailed strategy early on.
Conclusion
The client was able to submit the proposal SOCOTEC provided them with, which allowed them to move the project forward - funding remains in place, and they now await further comment from planners at the next stage of the process.
Once feedback has been received and planning permission has been granted, RIBA stages 3 and 4 come next, the detailed design phases, swiftly followed by stage five which is the demolition and rebuild.
It is still early in the project’s cycle, but SOCOTEC is confident that when the client makes a decision, the design will be able to move forward with the fire engineering challenges have been dealt with by SOCOTEC’s team in the Concept Design (RIBA Stage 2).
