It is a legal requirement that a Fire Statement must be submitted with any application that proposes:

• one or more buildings over 18m in height or 7 or more storeys, and which contain two or more dwellings or is for the purposes of educational accommodation
• development of an existing building over 18m in height or 7 or more storeys, and which contains two or more dwellings or is for the purposes of educational accommodation
• development within the curtilage of an existing building over 18m in height or 7 or more storeys, and which contains two or more dwellings or is for the purposes of educational accommodation
• change of use of one or more buildings over 18m in height or 7 or more storeys, to use as two or more dwellings or for the purposes of educational accommodation

A Fire Statement must explain the fire safety design principles, concepts and standards that have been applied to the development.

A Fire Statement must:

• be on a form published by the Secretary of State (or a form substantially to the same effect); and
• include the particulars specified or referred to in the form

Height is measured from ground level to the top floor surface of the top storey of the building (ignoring any storey which is a roof-top machinery or plant area or consists exclusively of machinery or plant rooms).

When determining the number of storeys, any storey which is below ground level is ignored, and any mezzanine floor is a storey if its internal floor area is at least 50% of the internal floor area of the largest storey in the building which is not below ground level.