Section 20

Tall Buildings and Warehouses

A Section 20 application under the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act 1939 must be made where the building is:

•  greater than 30 metres in height, or greater than 25 metres in height if the area of the building exceeds 930 sq. metres.

• of the warehouse class or is used wholly or partly for the purposes of trade of manufacture and exceeds 7100 cubic metres in extent.

Under Section 20 we may require extra fire safety measures to be included in the building. These mainly concern the provision and maintenance of:

•  fire extinguishing appliances and installations

•  effective means of removing smoke in case of fire

•  fire brigade access to the exterior of the building and additional conditions for special fire risk areas.

Where building regulations application is to be submitted please contact the area manager to discuss fees under Section 20.

If an initial notice is made through an approved inspector, application for Section 20 can only be dealt with by the local authority building control office.