Fire Safety in Commercial Refurbishments — What Contractors Must Do

Whether you're refurbishing a retail unit on Lewisham High Street, converting a warehouse in Deptford into office space, or upgrading a leisure facility in Woolwich, fire safety isn't an afterthought — it's a legal obligation that sits at the very heart of any commercial refurbishment project. At Heath Projects, we've worked across SE London long enough to know that cutting corners on fire safety doesn't just put lives at risk; it puts your entire investment at risk too.

Here's what every business owner, landlord, and contractor absolutely must understand before a single wall comes down.

Understanding Your Legal Obligations

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, any person with control over a commercial premises — including during refurbishment — is responsible for fire safety. This means your contractor, your project manager, and you as the client all share a duty of care. In 2022, the Building Safety Act introduced further layers of accountability, particularly for higher-risk buildings, many of which exist across the Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs.

If you're refurbishing commercial space in SE London, you must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out before, during, and after the works.

Fire Safety Starts at the Design Stage

One of the most common mistakes we see — particularly in older commercial stock across areas like Catford, Eltham and Kidbrooke — is treating fire safety as a box-ticking exercise at the end of a project. In reality, it must be considered at the very beginning.

During the design and planning phase, contractors must:

• Assess means of escape — Are existing fire exits adequate for the new layout? Will a change of use affect the number of occupants?
• Review fire compartmentation — Walls, floors and ceilings that contain fire must be maintained or upgraded. Breaking through a compartment wall to run new services and not reinstating it properly is one of the most dangerous — and most common — oversights.
• Specify compliant materials — From insulation to wall linings, every material used in a commercial refurbishment must meet the correct fire performance classifications under BS EN 13501.
• Plan for fire detection and suppression — New layouts may require repositioned or additional smoke detectors, heat detectors, sprinkler heads or suppression systems.

Compartmentation: The Silent Guardian

If there's one area where we see the most risk in SE London's older commercial buildings — particularly the Victorian and Edwardian stock common across Blackheath, Lee and Greenwich — it's fire compartmentation.

Compartmentation is the practice of dividing a building into fire-resisting sections to slow the spread of fire and smoke. During a refurbishment, it's incredibly easy to compromise this unintentionally. New cabling, pipework, ducting and ventilation all require penetrations through walls and floors — and every single one must be properly fire-stopped using intumescent products.

At Heath Projects, we carry out detailed compartmentation surveys before and after any commercial refurbishment, ensuring that every penetration is sealed to the correct fire rating and documented accordingly.

Working With Building Control and the Fire Service

For most commercial refurbishments in SE London, you'll need to submit a Building Regulations application — specifically under Part B (Fire Safety). Depending on the nature and scale of the works, this may be handled by your local authority building control (LABC) through Greenwich Council or Lewisham Council, or by a Registered Building Control Approver.

For higher-risk buildings over 18 metres, or buildings undergoing a change of use, you may also need to consult with the London Fire Brigade directly. Don't be intimidated by this process — it exists to protect occupants, neighbouring properties and emergency responders.

A good contractor will manage this process on your behalf, keeping you informed at every stage.

Staff and Occupant Safety During the Works Themselves

If your commercial premises remains occupied during refurbishment — common in retail environments across Lewisham and Woolwich — you have additional responsibilities. A construction phase fire risk assessment must be in place, temporary fire detection measures must be maintained, and escape routes must never be blocked or compromised, even temporarily.

This is non-negotiable. We've seen projects in SE London paused by inspectors precisely because contractors failed to maintain safe egress during live refurbishment works.

Documentation and Handover

When the project is complete, your contractor should provide you with a full fire safety handover pack, including:

• Updated fire risk assessment
• Certificates for fire doors, compartmentation works and suppression systems
• As-built drawings showing fire strategy
• Maintenance schedules for all fire safety systems

This documentation is essential not just for compliance, but for insurance purposes and future property transactions.

Work With a Contractor Who Takes Fire Safety Seriously

At Heath Projects, fire safety compliance is embedded into every commercial refurbishment we undertake — from small retail fit-outs in Deptford to major industrial conversions in Woolwich and everything in between. We work closely with building control, fire engineers and specialist subcontractors to deliver projects that are not only beautifully finished, but genuinely safe.

Shaping spaces, defining standards — and never compromising on the safety of the people who use them.

If you're planning a commercial refurbishment in SE London and want to work with a team that takes fire safety as seriously as you do, book a free site visit with the Heath Projects team. We're proud to serve businesses across Blackheath, Greenwich, Lewisham, Eltham, Kidbrooke, Catford, Deptford, Woolwich and the wider SE London area.