New bush fire danger rating systems launches in Australia

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

A new and nationally consistent bush fire danger rating system will start across Australia from 14 September, providing clearer and more accurate information to communities at risk of bush fire.

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System brings together the latest science and knowledge of fire behaviour and is supported by extensive community research, marking the most significant change to the fire danger rating system in more than 50 years.

Under the previous system, fire danger ratings were based on only bush and grass. The new system uses eight different types of vegetation, which have been mapped across the entire country.

The display of daily ratings has been simplified. From tomorrow, four levels of fire danger rating will be used, with simple actions for the community to take at each level.

  • Moderate (Green) – Plan and prepare
  • High (Yellow) – Be ready to act
  • Extreme (Orange) – Take action now to protect life ad property
  • Catastrophic (Red) – For your survival, leave bush fire risk areas

Fire danger ratings are used to communicate the consequences of a fire, if one was to start. On days when there is minimal risk, ‘No rating’ will be used.

The AFDRS development has been led by the NSW Government through the NSW Rural Fire Service, with the support of AFAC (Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council) and the Bureau of Meteorology. The project has been jointly funded by States/Territories and the Commonwealth government.

RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers said the new system will provide clearer advice to the community: “Across Australia, we have seen the devastating impact that fires can have on communities, and the new fire danger rating system will give people living, working and travelling in bush fire prone areas clearer and more accurate information about the risk they face.

“The new ratings will be displayed in communities across the country from tomorrow, such as on websites, smartphone apps, social media and on roadside signs”.

AFAC Chief Executive Officer Rob Webb said the delivery of the AFDRS is the result of extensive collaboration, development and testing: “The new system is a nationally significant project, using the expertise in fire and emergency services across the country.

“For the community, this collaboration means no matter where you live or move across Australia, you’ll see and hear the same descriptions around fire risk, and know what to do.”

Director General Emergency Management Australia Joe Buffone said the Australian Government is committed to helping communities to be better prepared for future bushfire emergencies through initiatives like the new AFDRS.

Buffone said: “As a nation we know how susceptible we are to bushfires, and it’s crucial that our communities, and career and volunteer first responders, are supported by the latest information and tools needed to protect lives and property.

“Bushfires affect everybody, wherever they may reside, climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of disaster, we need to ensure our communities are informed and ready to take decisive action when a bushfire threat approaches.”

Bureau of Meteorology Hazard Preparedness and Response National Manager, Nina Bowbridge said the AFDRS uses the latest science to give fire managers and the community more reliable rating forecasts. Bowridge said: “The Australian Fire Danger Rating System calculates fire danger at a finer geographic scale than ever before, providing more specific and relevant information.

“By using more vegetation types, fire danger ratings better represent the diverse landscapes across Australia and the risk faced by communities.”

The rollout of the AFDRS is supported by an education campaign, including an advertising campaign developed by the NSW RFS and funded by the Australian Government.

The campaign features firefighters who were involved in protecting communities during the 2019-20 fire season and carries the simple message of “Know the changes, they could save your life”.

Exclusive: The Rural Firefighting Challenge

by Breaking NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire
Joel Wright, President and Co-Owner at FOL-DA-TANK, speaks exclusively with IFSJ about the company’s portable water tanks and the challenge to supply water for firefighting in rural areas.

Manufacturer of portable water tanks and tank accessories for firefighters and environmental first responders, FOL-DA-TANK, was founded in 1954. Its founder Giles Eldred worked in the business loan department of a small bank in Rock Island, Illinois, in the early 1950s, when he met a customer who was applying for a loan to start a company that repaired fire trucks.

In the conversations that Eldred had with this customer regarding the firefighting industry, the issue of providing water was a common topic. In some rural areas where fire hydrants were not available, firefighters were staging water in temporary water reservoirs fashioned out of extension ladders tied together in a square with a canvas tarp draped over them.

The problem faced by these emergency responders stuck in Eldred’s mind, and he began to wonder if there was a more efficient way to create a temporary water storage container. One day, when he was folding his daughter’s playpen, he got the idea for a folding tank that could easily be stored on a ladder rack in a fire truck. He started the company under the name FOL-DA-TANK.

After 68 years in business, the company makes several styles of portable water tanks and specialty water moving strainers and fittings needed to move large volumes of water at rural structural and remote wildland fire scenes. IFSJ caught up with Joel Wright, FOL-DA-TANK’s President and Co-Owner to discuss the rural firefighting challenge that is water supply.

Prior to acquiring FOL-DA-TANK in 2020, Wright was the CEO of MoboTrex, Inc. which manufactures and distributes equipment for traffic signal intersections throughout North America. “My engineering background and early career experiences as a project manager and process engineer formed my foundation for the leadership and business skills I have built throughout my career,” Wright tells.

Wildland firefighting

Mobile water supply systems assist rural, structural and remote wildland firefighters by containing water at the fire scene. Rural structure fires are often miles from the nearest hydrant and tankers cannot carry enough water to extinguish a large fire. Instead, portable drop tanks need to supplement the water supply which can be refilled by shuttle tankers. A growing issue is that remote wildland fires are fast moving and far away from municipal water sources.

“A recent use case involves protecting high voltage transmission lines in a remote and mountainous area of Utah with nearby wildfires,” tells Wright. “The power company purchased several 1360-litre helicopter tanks which will be flown full of water directly to a staging area near each tower. Crews will use the water to create a fire line around the tower thus protecting it from damage. As the fire moves, the tanks can be re-filled and staged at towers where the fire may potentially burn.”

As rural fire departments are staffed by volunteers who have regular fulltime jobs, he points out that finding time to train volunteers on the best practices for complicated fire trucks and the related mobile water supply equipment is a huge challenge for the industry: “Manufacturers are always on the lookout for ways to add value by making the equipment easier and safer to use. “One thing FOL-DA-TANK has invested in recently is creating ‘how-to’ videos for the products we manufacture,” he says.

Rural concerns

Rural settings often have narrow roads and other limiting space constraints which is why FOL-DATANK offers a single lane tank kit for use in these locations. “The standard single lane tank is rectangular in shape compared to the original square folding frame tanks,” describes Wright. “A 9500-liter tank is typically 4m by 4m square whereas our diamond shaped second generation single lane tank is 6.7m long by 2.4m wide.

“The 1.6m width savings clears valuable roadway allowing emergency vehicles to pass in and out of the fire scene. Single lane tank users couple the tank with an aluminium 90 degree elbow attached to the suction inlet on the fire truck and to a hard suction hose which runs to the single lane tank.

“The hard suction hose is connected to a low-level drafting system permanently mounted to the tank. The flange mount plate is designed to stabilise the inner/outer flange set. The plate mounts to the tank frame and the flange set goes through the tank wall. Inside the tank and fastened to the inner flange is a low flow strainer which can maintain maximum pumping capacity down to 40mm-50mm water depth.”

Increasing fire activity

Global demand for mobile water supply systems is on the rise because of an increase in wildfires and the desire to protect land and property. The length of the annual fire weather season has increased on average globally as has the frequency of days with extreme fire. While hotter, dryer weather can facilitate increased fire activity, human fire management policy of past decades is also a root cause.

Wright says that land use, fire mitigation and prevention policies have increased the fuel available for wildfires causing them to burn hotter and over larger areas. “As we learned at Interschutz, truck builders outside of North America are just beginning to offer auxiliary water tanks on new truck builds,” he says. “Firefighters in Europe who visited our stand were eager to understand how this system could deliver more water to rural structure fire scenes. We expect international growth as the word spreads.”

Driving innovation

When FOL-DA-TANK was purchased from the founding family in late 2020, Wright says the new owners and management team brought some fresh perspective. “As we were meeting customers, conversations naturally led to stories about how our products were used and what worked well and what didn’t. We made a series of improvements to our original folding frame tank design including: the Rapid Release mechanism; Hi-Vis drain sleeves, the Jumbo Drain; and the flange mount plate.”

The Rapid Release mechanism is a slim profile device built into the tank frame. It firmly holds the drain sleeve in place and releases easily with one swift motion. “It was important to firefighters that this mechanism could be operated with gloves on,” he explains. “Hi-Vis drain sleeves are made from the same heavy duty PVC vinyl as the tank liner, but with a contrasting color. The problem solved is much better visibility at night.”

FOL-DA-TANK’s jumbo drains are bigger versions of its standard drain sleeves and drain leftover water from the tank six times faster than the standard size sleeve. “This can be vital in grass fires when a wind shift demands a fast relocation of equipment,” says Wright. “The flange mount plate is a permanent through wall flange set on a folding frame tank. The device connects two tanks or a low flow strainer which eliminates running a hard suction hose over the tank frame.”

Looking ahead

Since the ownership transition and changes in management took place in November 2020, Wright says that FOL-DA-TANK has focused on three areas in our core firefighting market: providing reliable supply; winning at the point of sale; and driving demand for innovation.

“One of our favourite success stories is reducing lead time from 45 days to less than 10 days and then sustaining it for 10 consecutive months so far,” he tells. “Another is the introduction of our Rapid Release mechanism for the drain sleeves on frame tanks. The device has been very well received by experienced firefighters who have used our products for decades.”

On future plans, he reveals this includes growth through acquisition into the first responder market: “We have an excellent operating team and manufacturing infrastructure with capacity to do more. Our ideal target is to purchase a company that manufactures lose equipment sold through our existing distributor network.”

Finally, Wright talks about the importance of durability and functionality, something he says the company’s founder understood well when he first designed the folding frame tanks. “A nearby customer recently replaced their department’s two 30-year-old tanks which were still functioning but in need of patches and other repairs,” he tells.

“While the local government was thankful the tanks had outlasted the original fire trucks on which they were originally supplied, the fire chief was even more appreciative of the design enhancements made over the 30 years.

“He liked the new Rapid Release mechanism for the drain sleeves, hinge guards at the pinch points on the frame, lift handles in the liner to move residual water to the drains, and our hi-vis drain sleeves made from contrasting colours of vinyl. FOL-DATANK has a solid design concept and culture of innovation. We welcome the voice of the customer and are thrilled when our team makes improvements to an already outstanding product.”

This article was originally published in the September edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

NFPA released wildfire policy report

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released a new report, “Policy Recommendations to Reduce Home and Community Loss from Wildfire: Report on Outthink Wildfire™ Summit,” which summarises the next steps that dozens, agreed upon by dozens of experts, that will help overcome the challenges the nation faces in ending wildfire disasters.

The report notes outcomes from a recent policy summit hosted by NFPA in Sacramento, CA, which brought together more than 50 representatives (see full list below) who collaboratively worked to identify the most critically important areas needing national focus in light of ever-increasing wildfire losses. 

The summit was identified as a need within Outthink Wildfire, a comprehensive NFPA strategy for supporting policy-based initiatives that, over time, significantly reduce wildfire risk to communities.

The key areas identified by summit participants included education; social and cultural challenges; funding gaps; skilled workforce needs; silos in planning, codes, and standards; and additional research and data to inform risk understanding and codes.

The report provides a set of recommended goals and strategies for each of these areas. In addition, it outlines efforts NFPA will pursue in the short term, along with plans for working collaboratively with fellow stakeholders and audiences.

Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director at NFPA, said: “While the measures needed to substantively lower the risk of structure ignition in wildfire-prone areas are well established, the challenge is to apply those proven methods in communities more widely and consistently.

“By bringing together leaders in the field at the Outthink Wildfire summit, we were able to create a roadmap for achieving our overarching goal of more systematically reaching and impacting regions at risk to wildfire.”

Summit outcomes included agreement on starting points to improve alignment of policies and programs and to implement new initiatives to help increase the pace and scale of home retrofits and other mitigation measures, ultimately improving community-wide resiliency to wildfire.

The report states: “With a growing body of research now demonstrating successful wildfire mitigation strategies for homes, it is imperative that this knowledge be put into practice. To generate a community-wide reduction in the vulnerability of the built environment to wildfires, mitigation must be applied at the individual structure and parcel level, and to adjacent properties as well.”

To review the full report, visit www.nfpa.org/outthinkwildfire

Cedar Creek Fire in Oregon triples in size

by ActiveFeatured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

The Cedar Creek Fire, which started on 1 August in west-central Oregon has more than tripled in size from 27,512 acres on the morning of Thursday September 8 to 85,900 acres by Saturday night.

The majority of growth was to the west driven by strong easterly winds and dry fuels. The incident management team says 2,230 homes and 443 commercial structures remain threatened, but there have been no reports that any structures have been destroyed. 

The most recent statement from Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal said that due to strong east winds and triple-digit temperatures, work has primarily focused on the west side of the fire and that As conditions change and winds shift, firefighters with the OSFM will continue to evaluate threat to lives and properties.

Fire crews continue working day and night shifts to access structures and patrol critical areas where the fire is nearing. The fire remained north of Highway 58, south of Forest Road 19, and east of Eagle Butte.

In the east zone, direct checking actions continued on the southeast edge in the Waldo Lake area and efforts were being focused on creating fire breaks along existing roads and other barriers and burn-out operations to reduce fuels. 

Crews are reportedly working in the Brown Mountain area to reinforce a barrier east of the highway between the Crane Prairie and Wickiup reservoirs. The State Fire Marshal statement said these fire breaks are a high priority and will likely take most of a week to complete.

State of emergency declared over California wildfires

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Placer and El Dorado counties due to the Mosquito Fire and in Riverside County due to the Fairview Fire on Thursday afternoon.

Both wildfires are threatening multiple communities and have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The declaration has frees up state resources to help residents affected by the fire and to help firefighters battle the fires.

The Fairview fire, which over the weekend had grown to 4,500 acres has since spread rapidly with the latest update from Cal Fire on Thursday night stating that the blaze had grown to over 27,000 acres and remained only 5% contained.

Meanwhile, the Mosquito fire has grown according to the latest update also on Thursday night from Cal Fire to 13,705 acres with zero per cent containment.

The statement from Governor Newsom’s office noted that earlier this week, California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the Fairview Fire.

Additionally, last week Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Siskiyou County due to the Mill Fire, and announced that the state secured an FMAG to support the response to the fire.

European Commission discusses future Wildfire Preparedness plans

by Breaking NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

In the wake of forest fires in Southern and Central Europe, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in close cooperation with the Czech Presidency of the Council, held an Informal Ministerial Meeting on Reinforcing Wildfire Preparedness and Response in Brussels on 5 September 2022.

Ministers, State Secretaries and Directors-General for Civil Protection of the EU Member States and Participating States to the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) discussed rapid coordinated European action, within the framework of the UCPM, to better protect the Union and its citizens from fires in 2023 and beyond.

The participants gave their tributes to the work of the many firefighters who engaged in responding to fires across the Union and welcomed the European solidarity shown through the UCPM throughout the summer and the effective coordination ensured by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).

The meeting confirmed the shared understanding of all EU Member States and Participating States that climate change is rapidly altering the wildfire risk in Europe. The scientific projections for the next years and the operational experience of the EU’s fire services depict a dire situation for the future of European forests and the livelihoods of citizens across the EU.

The occurrence of large forest fires in Central and Northern Europe, witnessed this year in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany and complementing a trend of previous years that saw fire emergencies also in Austria and Sweden, has raised particular concern among the leaders. T

he absence of sufficient firefighting planes and helicopters in these countries puts additional strain on the already established seasonal European safety net of firefighting aircraft, co-financed by the European Commission and meant to temporarily bridge gaps until the permanent new European fleet of firefighting aircraft (called rescEU and composed of 14 medium and light amphibious planes and 9 medium helicopters to complement national fleets) will have been produced between 2026 and 2030.

It was agreed that the intensification of wildfires in Southern Europe exhausts all existing firefighting capacities at national and European level, making European solidarity in a situation of simultaneous large-scale fires in several countries a particular challenge.

The pre-positioning of firefighters, for the first time operationalised this summer in a European pilot project in Greece, was identified as a good practice to not only share aerial capacities in the EU, but to also to exchange expertise, share knowledge and pre-plan the mobilisation of ground teams from countries less affected by fires to those in need of assistance.

The EU Member States and the Commission reached broad consensus on four concrete actions points:

  1. Accelerate the establishment of the new permanent rescEU fleet of aerial firefighting capacities by exploring an advanced procurement of helicopters;
  2. Expand the existing seasonal European safety net of firefighting airplanes by financing the inclusion of additional helicopters and light aircraft in particular in Central and Northern Europe, as of summer 2023;
  3. Reinforce the seasonal pre-positioning of ground teams to wildfires hot spots;
  4. Operationalise a plan of action for fire prevention and preparedness.

These actions are subject to additional EU budgetary resources being made available. The European Commission invited countries interested in hosting additional rescEU capacities or prepositioning ground teams to inform the European Commission of their intentions before the end of September 2022.

Firefighters reign in Route Fire in Los Angeles

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

Firefighters in Los Angeles have successfully tackled the remainder of the Route fire near Castaic on Saturday, which over the past few days charred more than 5,200 acres.

The fire, which was first reported on Wednesday afternoon along the 5 Freeway near Lake Hughes Road, grew quickly by Thursday, prompting mandatory evacuations and destroying two structures.

About 250 county firefighters were assigned to the blaze along with 115 US Forest Service firefighters, eight air tankers and seven helicopters, said L.A. County Fire Inspector Craig Little.

According to Tom Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, temperatures in the area was 111 degrees Fahrenheit (43.8 C) and the heat was severely affecting the fire crews battling the fire. After seven firefighters had to be treated for heat stroke, officials took an unusual step in pulling back some of the firefighters on the front lines. 

The order to pull back, a fire official said, was to reduce the risk to firefighters tackling the most grueling tasks as temperatures soared. Instead, crews would focus on an aerial assault.

“It’s a tactical pause for the crews that are experiencing the greatest heat impact,” Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Thomas C. Ewald said. “We’re just trying to reduce the strain being placed on line firefighters.”

It is rare for fire officials to pull back resources. Ewald said, however: “The No. 1 threat right now is to our firefighters. We want to back off the intensity a little bit.

“For our folks that are out there, they don’t have the opportunity to go into an air-conditioned environment. They’re on the line, they’re not in the shade. Their No. 1 tool is hydration and preparation.”

Mann McGowan expand Middle East distribution network with Emirates Technotrade LLC

by Breaking NewsConstructionIndustry SectorsMiddle East - Breaking News

Mann McGowan has announced an agreement with Emirates Technotrade LLC to further expand the distribution of Mann McGowan intumescent fire, acoustic and smoke seals to the construction and passive fire protection industries in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the Middle East.

Mann McGowan already has a successful existing distribution and customer network in the region and the agreement further strengthens the company’s ambition to become the leading fire seal manufacturer throughout the Middle East.

The deal also extends Mann McGowan’s partnerships within the Emirates group of companies, with Falcon Acoustics & Passive Fire Solutions Pvt. Ltd distributor of Mann McGowan products in the Indian sub-continent.

Jamie Scott, Managing Director of Mann McGowan, commented: “We are excited to strengthen our position in the Middle East with this agreement with Emirates Technotrade. Their wealth of commercial and technical knowledge perfectly complements the existing distribution network for our high quality, third-party tested and certified seal solutions. This is another important step in Mann McGowan’s global business development strategy.”

Emirates Technotrade and its group of companies has been supplying Passive Fire Protection solutions to the construction industry in both the GCC and Indian sub-continent for more than 15 years and service the Middle East region through their sales office and warehouse in Dubai. Their Managing Director, Varghese Joseph Parackal, said: “Having worked closely with Mann McGowan in India and knowing full well their product testing regime, production capabilities and fast track delivery performance, it was the optimal choice for us to partner with Mann McGowan for the UAE and Middle East markets.”

Mann McGowan design, manufacture and supply a comprehensive range of fire, smoke and acoustic seals to meet industry requirements and customers’ needs and specifications. To ensure the safe compliance on all fire doors and to develop their product range, they work closely with door, glass and hardware manufacturers. Every product is subjected to rigorous quality control and most importantly independent third-party evaluation and testing to various national and international standards.

For further information, please contact Tim Foster on +44 (0)783 3052920 or tim@mannmcgowan.co.uk

www.mannmcgowan.co.uk

Evac+Chair gives the Last Word on the Fire Safety Act

by Breaking NewsBuilding ManagementFeatured NewsIndustry Sectors
Gerard Wallace, Managing Director at Evac+Chair International tells us why the Fire Safety Act was a missed opportunity

What is your response to the Fire Safety Act, FSA?

We are hopeful that the FSA is just the start of creating legislation and laws pertaining to fire safety, but we do see it as an opportunity missed for the disabled, due to the lack of commitment to PEEPS (Personal Emergency Escape Plan) in high-rise residential blocks.

We have copious amounts of rules, legislation, approvals and controls around Fire Safety, but very little concerning safe evacuation particularly for the disabled. Many lives have been lost due to lack of thought, legislation and planning around safe evacuation. Every building is different, specifically in reference to the means of escape.

There are a wide range of products available to ensure everyone, including the mobility impaired can be evacuated in an emergency but the lack of legislation means they are rarely implemented. Equipment should be mandatorily available to ensure that everyone can escape in an emergency, including the mobility impaired.

The “Stay Put Policy” has been hugely controversial for many years amongst fire safety professionals. My thoughts on this are, who makes the call on “Stay Put” or “Evacuate Now”, what sort of skills and experience must you have to make this judgement? There is a little more clarity around the legal responsibility of “The Responsible Person” but the revised legislation falls far short of considering the needs of the mobility impaired. At the very least, a PEEP should be mandatory for every building as it provides reassurance to those with mobility impairments that there is a plan in place for their safe evacuation.

Why do you feel evacuation chairs should be legislated?

They have been proven to save lives and there are many examples of this, everyone should have the right and means to evacuate in an emergency, if it is appropriate to do so. Whether the plan is to evacuate or stay put, without the proper equipment in place, evacuating the mobility impaired will be at the very least challenging but could lead to life threatening consequences. In the case of Grenfell, deaths of disabled residents was far greater than any other group. 41% of disabled residents lost their life as they were not able to evacuate themselves and equipment that could have helped them was not available.

What options can Evac+Chair offer building owners looking to improve their evacuation equipment?

We manufacture a wide range of evacuation chairs, specifically designed for stairway evacuation, to suit any type of personnel requirement and staircase; providing everyone with the means to escape, whether disabled, injured or mobility impaired. We offer free on-site evacuation assessments, carried out by our team of specialist nationwide consultants, which we recommend prior to purchase, this ensures the most suitable Evac+Chair is selected. We also offer training courses to ensure that our equipment is deployed and operated in the correct and safe manner, in the event of an emergency. Every building should be equipped with the means to evacuate anyone who cannot quickly and safely evacuate themselves.

This article was originally published in the August edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

Bristol flats gain approval despite fire safety concerns

by ConstructionFeatured NewsIndustry Sectors

Donard developers now have permission to build 221 apartments in Bristol between York Street and Mead Street despite serious fire safety concerns, including one block featuring a single escape route, leading to official calls for major design changes.

The apartments are a part of the Mead Street development project which plans to construct around 1,500 new homes in the area. The development brief was signed off by the council earlier in August after a long delay.

Both local residents and council planning officers campaigned for the plans to be refused by the development control committee ahead of the decision being made on Wednesday 24 August. However, as Councillors said the need for housing outweighed the issues with the designs.”

The HSE highlighted the need for changes to the current designs, due to fire safety concerns. One block currently will only have a single escape staircase, which is in breach of fire safety standards.

Council officers have said that the current designs could be altered to address the fire safety concerns without making a new application to the council. Building control will also need to sign off the new build’s safety before potential residents could move in.

Residents and councillors are also against the proposed builds due to a lack of windows in the apartments, giving residents a limited amount of natural light, and disruption to the views and character of the area.

John Geater, a councillor for Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston, said: “My concern is if we refuse this, what will happen is we’ll get a reduced height in a planning application that comes back, so that it gets around all the design rules and the places will be bigger.

“But there’ll be 10 percent affordable housing because they’ll knock off all the affordable housing in order to make it compliant and a lovely design.”

Ed Plowden, a Green councillor for Windmill Hill, said: “When you’re reliant on things like shiny paint to get your light levels up, I don’t think that’s great. I really worry about the quality of accommodation for people who will be living here. This has been rushed through and there are loose ends about whether it’s safe to live in.”