The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has published its ‘Building Blueprint’ – ten policy priorities to make premises less vulnerable to the key threats of fire and flooding.
The Building Blueprint includes:
On flooding…
- Protect communities by spending more on building and maintaining flood defences
- Protect homes and businesses by increasing the use of flood resilience measures within properties.
- Prevent increased flood risk by including sustainable drainage systems in all new developments.
- Increase understanding of flood risk by giving purchasers up-front information.
- Improve planning processes to ensure no inappropriate developments are built in high flood risk areas.
On fire...
- Improve safety for firefighters and residents in high rises by reintroducing stricter rules for tall buildings.
- Reduce the risk to new build properties by guaranteeing the use of materials that don’t burn on the outside of tall buildings.
- Protect refurbished properties by ensuring any changes either maintain or improve the level of fire protection.
- Keep fire-safety rules for buildings up-to-date by regularly reviewing them so they keep pace with construction methods.
- Introduce compulsory sprinklers for new schools, care homes and warehouses over 2000m2.
