Anyone who heard Brian Coleman on Radio 5 live last Friday may have been surprised to hear him say repeatedly that he would not live in a timber framed block of flats (or words to that effect). He did voice some legitimate concerns over the need to maintain fire stopping and structural protection and how difficult it is to prevent and detect damage and alterations that a flat occupier may undertake post completion.
In my opinion the biggest concern with timber framed construction is during the construction phase and whilst HSG168 has just been updated it is my opinion that Planning Law should be changed.
Whilst the CDM Regulations cover fire safety to some extent during the construction phase (only considering the safety of person on the site not other relevant persons who may be at risk) , the inherent risks should be considered from the conception of the design and fundamental decisions need to be made at planning stage.
Planning permission should take into account the hazard to adjoining properties from accidents and fire during the construction phase and the effect of these on existing properties adjacent to the site. Its simple enough to calcualte the radiated heat flux from a fire involving a timber crib and the whether this would be sufficient to ignite cars parked at the perimetewr of the site or adjoining buildings. The developer should be required to quantify these risks and demonstrate how they will be controlled. as a prerequisite to being granted consent.
Some sites, due to their character, nature and proximity to other buildings are unsuitable for this method of construction due to the risk of radiated heat from a fire during the construction phase. I would not be happy if sombody built a huge timber crib in my backyard. These are my personal views only of course, and I accept that once completed timber framed buildings represent no higher risk than any other type of construction.
