Fire risk assessment in Nottinghamshire

Eastwood and Kimberley sit right on the Derbyshire border, and Nottingham city centre is about half an hour from our base in Belper, so Nottinghamshire is very much part of our patch. We cover the city and every district of the county. Whether you manage a single shared house in Beeston or a portfolio of flats in the city centre, a local qualified consultant visits and writes your report.

Derwent Fire Compliance is led by Stephen Haywood, a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner listed on the Institute of Fire Safety Managers register and the National Fire Risk Assessors Register.

• Nottingham city, including the Lace Market, Lenton, Radford and Sherwood
• Broxtowe: Beeston, Stapleford, Eastwood and Kimberley
• Rushcliffe: West Bridgford and Bingham
• Gedling: Arnold and Carlton
• Ashfield and Mansfield: Hucknall, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Mansfield
• Newark and Sherwood: Newark, Southwell and Ollerton

With two large universities, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, the city has one of the biggest student housing markets in the country, concentrated in areas such as Lenton and Radford. Nottingham City Council also runs licensing schemes that go further than the national HMO rules, so landlords in the city are regularly asked for evidence of fire safety. A written fire risk assessment with a completed action log gives you exactly that.

Nottingham’s Lace Market and city centre are full of Victorian warehouses and offices converted into apartments, alongside newer blocks of flats. Since January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have given Responsible Persons for buildings with two or more homes extra duties, including giving residents fire safety instructions and information about fire doors. In buildings over 11 metres, communal fire doors must be checked every three months and flat entrance doors at least once a year. We assess the common parts and help you understand what applies to your building.

Along the M1 around Hucknall and Ashfield, distribution centres and industrial units bring large floor areas and high-bay storage. Market towns such as Newark and Southwell have historic shops and pubs with accommodation above, and holiday lodges and cottages around Sherwood Forest need the same written assessment as any accommodation with paying guests.

In Mansfield, Ashfield and the north of the county, many former colliery-era buildings, chapels and mills now house small businesses, gyms, churches and community groups, while streets of older terraced houses make up much of the rented housing. Converted buildings often have awkward layouts and escape routes, and shared houses need protected stairs, proper fire doors and working alarms. We assess both, and explain clearly what needs doing first.

Nottingham has one of the busiest night-time economies in the Midlands, and pubs, bars, restaurants and takeaways across the county carry particular risks: commercial kitchens, deep-fat fryers, extraction ductwork, late-night crowds and, often, staff or tenants living upstairs. We look at how the kitchen is managed, how people would get out of a busy venue, and how the accommodation above is protected from the business below.

Fire safety law in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is enforced by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. After a site inspection at a time that suits you, you receive a comprehensive written fire risk assessment with an action log, and since October 2023 every Responsible Person must keep their full assessment in writing.