Development proprietor fined £50,000 for fireplace protection failings

Birmingham has turn out to be the primary West Midlands native authority, and handiest the second one within the nation, to make use of powers equipped below the Housing Act 2004 to prosecute a construction proprietor.

On 16^th October 2025, Freehold Managers (Nominees) Restricted, the corporate accountable for the 19-storey Centenary Plaza on Holliday Side road, pleaded in charge to failing to conform to a council growth realize.

Birmingham Town Council pursued felony motion after Freehold Managers (Nominees) Restricted, primarily based at 250 Bishopsgate, London, didn’t adopt the important growth works required to make the construction secure, as detailed within the growth realize issued via the council in September 2023.

The advance realize mandated the restore of fireplace doorways, enhancements to emergency lighting fixtures and the availability of appropriate manner of break out from the construction within the tournament of a hearth.

All the way through sentencing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Courtroom, a positive of £50,000 was once imposed at the trade, bearing in mind its early in charge plea, the corporate’s monetary place, and the council’s felony prices.

After the Grenfell Tower fireplace, Birmingham Town Council shaped a staff of specialist officials to handle fireplace protection in high-rise structures, funded via a central authority grant.

Councillor Nicky Brennan, cupboard member for housing and homelessness, mentioned: “We’ve 0 tolerance for house owners of structures delaying very important life-saving fireplace protection paintings. Delaying pressing protection measures is unacceptable. Lives are in peril. The place wanted, we will be able to use our complete powers to offer protection to citizens.

“This resolution represents a milestone in our pressure to lift requirements and hang construction house owners to account in Birmingham. It is going to additionally assist set an instance for different government around the nation in safeguarding their citizens’ pursuits the usage of the powers to be had below housing law.

“This sentence sends a transparent caution to all construction house owners running in Birmingham that they will have to act rapidly within the passion of our citizens’ protection first and all the time, differently we will be able to take decisive motion in opposition to you.”

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