Decision details

Following Fire Safety Inspections and in light of strict requirements for fire safety duties in public buildings post-Grenfell disaster, the building is no longer considered safe on the first floor in terms of occupancy levels and distances to fire exits. Some fire doors on the route to fire exist are no longer deemed appropriate. A new fire exit is required from the rear of the first floor, improvements to fire safety systems and fire exit routes, and separately, repairs are required to the public lift, which has a motor which has burnt out.

To allocate £100k already within the new build library and museum budget for building improvements for the currently-used Museum on Chequer Road, and a further £150k applied for in the 2019-20 capital finance programme, for improvements which will ensure that the building is fit for future purpose in meeting statutory fire safety obligations and the service’s equality duty. £250k is required for the scope of works, which this capital allocation will cover. It ensures the ongoing use of the Museum for service and business use in a safe and equitable way.
The scope of works is:
? The creation of a new fire exit from the galleries on the first floor, with fire exit door and steps to the exterior.
? Improvements to the internal fire exit routes.
? Repairs to the public / goods lift.
The Museum on Chequer Road will be re-purposed in 2019-20 and 2020-21 as 50% Archives Research facility (first floor), and 50% creative industry incubator for micro-business working in the creative and digital sector (ground floor).

1. Do nothing – this would lead to closure of the building as it will otherwise fail future fire safety inspections and be deemed unusable by staff and public. This would lead to a lack of an Archives Research facility complimenting the work of the new build to generate more engagement with and usage of the borough’s Archives, in a way that delivers value for money through the re-purposing of the Museum.
2. Complete partial works. If funding is allocated to the fire safety improvements, but not the repairs to the lift, for example, then the first floor would remain unusable to residents and visitors e.g. using a wheelchair or with impaired mobility, which means the service will be defaulting on its equality duty. All works in scope are required to ensure that the building is safe and provides equity of access.
3. Alternative options. The fire safety provisions outlined in the scope in Box 2 are deemed necessary to satisfy the service’s fire safety duty. Other options for access to the first floor instead of a lift have been assessed, e.g. stair-lifts, but this would still be at additional cost as the lift is also used for the transportation of goods to and from the ground floor to first floor, and therefore support staff health and safety when managing large heritage objects.