Planning Gateway One: when you need a fire statement

What Planning Gateway One is

Planning Gateway One is the first of three "gateways" introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire. It makes sure fire safety matters that affect land use – site layout, access for fire engines and water supplies – are considered before planning permission is granted, when they're still cheap to change. Gateway 2 (before construction) and Gateway 3 (before occupation) follow under building control.

Which buildings are caught

Planning Gateway One applies to relevant buildings. A building is relevant if it:

• contains two or more dwellings or educational accommodation, and
• is 18 metres or more in height, or has 7 or more storeys.

Mixed-use buildings can be relevant if they include at least two dwellings. Care homes, hotel accommodation and short-term holiday lets aren't treated as dwellings for this purpose.

A Fire Statement Form must be submitted with an application for full planning permission for development that includes, or is within the curtilage of, a relevant building.

What the fire statement covers

The prescribed form asks for information about:

• The site and building – height, storeys, uses and the number of dwellings
• The principles and approach to fire safety, and the design standards being followed
• Site layout and how it affects fire safety
• Emergency vehicle access and water supplies for firefighting
• Consultation carried out, and how fire safety planning policies have been considered

The statement should be prepared by a suitably qualified person. It works best alongside an outline fire strategy, so the planning submission reflects real design decisions.

Who reviews it

The Building Safety Regulator is the statutory consultee for Planning Gateway One. (The Health and Safety Executive carried out this role from 2021; the regulator became a standalone body on 27 January 2026.) Its advice tells the local planning authority whether there are fire safety concerns to address at planning, with supplementary comments on matters for later regulatory stages. The planning authority makes the decision.

London Plan Policy D12

In London, Policy D12 of the London Plan expects major developments to be supported by a fire statement produced by a suitably qualified, independent assessor – regardless of height – and all developments to achieve the highest standards of fire safety. Many London schemes need a D12 statement as well as the Gateway One form.

Prior approval and permitted development

Prior approval applications don't use the Fire Statement Form, but fire safety is still considered:

• Class MA (commercial to residential): where the change creates a relevant building, the regulator is a statutory consultee, and floor plans are needed for each storey changing to residential use.
• Class A and AA (upward extensions): a fire risk condition requires a fire safety report confirming the external walls will adequately resist fire spread.

See our guide to office-to-residential conversions.

Common pitfalls

• Treating the form as a box-ticking exercise, then changing the design at Gateway 2
• Committing to a single staircase on a building over 18m – see second staircase rules
• Not checking hydrant locations and fire engine access early
• Inconsistency between the fire statement, the design and access statement and the drawings

What the regulator looks at

The regulator's planning advice focuses on fire safety matters that affect land use. Typical questions include:

• Can fire engines get close enough to the building and its entrances?
• Are there adequate water supplies, such as hydrants, for firefighting?
• Does the site layout allow safe evacuation and firefighting access?
• Are the proposed means of escape realistic for a building of this height and use?
• Do external walls and neighbouring buildings raise fire spread concerns?

Issues raised at this stage are much cheaper to fix than at Gateway 2.

Our Planning Gateway One fire statement service covers the Fire Statement Form, London Plan D12 statements and prior approval fire safety reports.

Sources

• Planning Portal – Planning Gateway One summary
• Planning Portal – Planning Gateway One and prior approval applications
• GOV.UK – Fire safety and high-rise residential buildings (from 1 August 2021)

This guide is general information based on the law and guidance in England as at 8 November 2026. It isn't legal advice – for advice on a specific building, get in touch.