Often yes, but a short one. London Plan Policy D12(A) applies to all development, and several London councils turn it into a validation requirement, so even a house extension can be returned as invalid without some fire safety information. For a householder scheme that is a statement answering six points, or an exemption statement where the council accepts one. It is not the independent fire engineer's report under D12(B), which is only for major development. We write D12(A) statements for householder and minor schemes; they are from £125.
On this page
- Which fire document applies to my scheme?
- What do London councils ask a householder for?
- Is there an official householder form?
- What does a householder D12(A) statement cover?
- What happens if I leave it out?
- How is it different from the Part B fire drawings?
- What if my extension is permitted development?
- Frequently asked questions
Which fire document applies to my scheme?
There are three, and owners often confuse them.
London Plan Policy D12(A) applies to every development proposal. It asks for the "highest standards of fire safety" and lists six things a scheme should do (London Plan 2021, chapter 3). This is the one that reaches a house extension or a loft conversion.
London Plan Policy D12(B) says all major development proposals should come with a Fire Statement, an independent fire strategy by "a third party, suitably qualified assessor". A householder application is never major. If your scheme is major, appoint a fire engineer; that is not a product we sell.
The national fire statement, introduced from 1 August 2021, applies to "relevant buildings": those with two or more dwellings or educational accommodation that are 18 m or 7 storeys or more (MHCLG guidance). No house extension meets that test.
What do London councils ask a householder for?
D12(A) is policy, and each council decides through its local list what it needs to see at validation. Three current lists show how far apart they are.
Lambeth says "all applications for minor developments should be accompanied by a Fire Statement that meets the requirements of Part A of Policy D12" (Lambeth local list, item 33). If you are extending in Lambeth, plan on one.
Wandsworth asks all developments for a fire safety strategy to Policy D12, and says "exemption statements will be accepted for smaller schemes where this is not applicable" (Wandsworth checklist, July 2026). A rear extension that leaves the escape route unchanged may need only that short exemption statement.
Bromley lists a London Plan fire statement for major development, new dwellings including conversions, commercial development and changes of use, and asks non-major schemes of those types to show that D12 has been considered (Bromley validation guidance). A plain house extension in Bromley is not on that list; a house split into flats is.
Read the date on your own council's list too. A local requirement only affects validity if the list was published less than two years before you apply (MHCLG guidance, paragraph 039).
Is there an official householder form?
Not one in force from the Mayor. The GLA consulted in 2022 on draft Fire Safety London Plan Guidance, and that draft has since been withdrawn and is no longer proposed for adoption. The withdrawal "does not affect the status of Policies D5 and D12" (GLA), so the policy still applies without the guidance. What matters is that the six points are answered in the format your council's list asks for.
What does a householder D12(A) statement cover?
Each of the six points, answered for the house as proposed:
- Outside space for fire appliances to stop and for people to gather. For most London houses that is the street and the pavement at the front.
- Features that reduce risk to life, such as interlinked smoke alarms and fire-resisting doors where the layout needs them.
- Construction that limits fire spread, including the external wall materials and any wall close to the boundary.
- Means of escape, which changes most with a loft conversion that adds a storey above the first floor or an open-plan ground floor that removes the hall wall.
- An evacuation strategy, which for a single family house is simple: everyone leaves by the protected route.
- Access and equipment for firefighting, appropriate to the size and use of the house.
Most answers are a few lines, but each has to be there. The statement makes no promise about the construction detail; that is checked later.
What happens if I leave it out?
If your council's list asks for D12 information and the application arrives without it, the council can treat the application as invalid and write to ask for it. The decision period does not start until the missing document arrives, so a two-page statement left out can cost weeks. If you believe the requirement does not apply to your scheme, the national guidance sets out the article 12 notice route for disputing it (MHCLG guidance, paragraph 049). For most householders, writing the short statement is quicker than the dispute.
How is it different from the Part B fire drawings?
The planning statement explains the approach to fire safety at planning stage. The detailed design, such as the protected stair, the fire doors, the alarm grade and the escape windows, is then shown on the building regulations drawings and checked by building control against Approved Document B Volume 1, the guidance for dwellings.
The two should say the same thing. Our fire strategy plan is the building regulations drawing for a loft or an HMO, and its cost is set out in our fire strategy cost guide. For the rest of the building control set, see what building control needs for an extension.
What if my extension is permitted development?
Then there is no planning application and no D12 statement. Building regulations still apply, including Part B. If your loft is permitted development, our loft permitted development guide explains the limits, and our post on whether your house is suitable for an extension covers the checks that decide whether you need an application at all.
Every report we prepare for an application, with its fee, is listed on the planning reports hub, and the fire statement service page sets out what ours includes.
Frequently asked questions
Does a loft conversion planning application need a fire statement in London? Where the council's list asks for D12 information, yes, and the loft is the case where means of escape matters most, because a new storey changes the route out of the house.
Who can write a D12(A) statement? The London Plan names a third-party, suitably qualified assessor for D12(B) on major schemes. For D12(A) on a householder or minor scheme it sets no such requirement; your council's list may say more.
Does a flat conversion need a fire statement? Usually. Bromley lists new dwellings including conversions, and Lambeth asks all minor applications for one. If the converted building is 18 m or 7 storeys or more, the national fire statement form applies as well.
Will the fire statement satisfy building control? No. It answers the planning policy. Building control checks the detailed design against Part B separately.
