Decision Maker: Director of Adults, Health and Well-Being
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
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.
Publication date: 16/05/2019
Date of decision: 09/04/2019
Accompanying Documents: