The National Fire Chiefs Council published its position on MMC in December 2022, warning there are significant unknowns with certain types of the new construction techniques, particularly for high-rises, those that house vulnerable people, and those which plan to use delayed evacuation procedures. 

Deputy Prow said the Chief Officer of Home has been instructed to respond to concerns raised by the local fire chiefs before sharing it with other committees, including P&R. But he said it was an area that “needs to be discussed wider”. 

Policy & Resources is carrying out due diligence into the redevelopment project, including enhanced scrutiny into the directors of the private firms involved in the scheme, but recently came out to say it was content that public money could support the first-of-its-kind building method in return for public housing, 

"The committee is satisfied at this stage that the States' interest in purchasing these units can continue... The developer has been heavily engaged in this process to date and the committee believes it understands these are important and conditional matters that must be addressed affordably and to the committee's satisfaction in order for purchase terms to be settled,” it said earlier this month.

Pictured: The barren Leale's Yard site.

The NFCC said it was especially concerned with 3D Modular construction and the use of engineered mass timber products such as Glulam. 

“Meeting housing supply should not be prioritised at the expense of safety, and we have concerns that there remains a lack of understanding about the performance of MMC which presents significant uncertainty in the built environment,” it said. 

“A focus on sustainable building approaches has shown an increased interest in MMC and in the use of materials such as timber as well as the incorporation of features such as living walls and roofs. There should not be a conflict between sustainability, improved building standards and fire safety."

The NFCC called on the UK Government to include fire chiefs in regulatory discussions over MMC and ensure tight testing of the materials is undertaken as well as reforms to building regulations.  

“To ensure the industry is not creating legacy building safety issues, additional safeguards are needed to ensure there is not an influx of potentially unsafe MMC buildings being constructed while necessary regulatory reforms are in progress,” it added. 

“We are mainly concerned about the lack of research and test data available to provide reassurance on the fire performance of buildings constructed using types of MMC. The fire performance of innovative construction techniques and materials is not always fully understood, and we are unclear of the implications this has on structural performance during both heating and cooling phases of a fire.  

“Of particular concern is the structural stability in fire of tall modular and mass timber construction where the consequence of structural failure is significant.” 

P&R won initial backing from the States last year to invest tens of millions into the Bridge and Leale’s Yard to install flood defences and purchase housing. 

Pictured (top): Deputy Andy Taylor.

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