Fire Strategy Plans for Building Regulations Approval
A fire strategy plan is the fire-safety design of a building set out on annotated floor plans (showing escape routes, fire-resisting compartments, fire door positions and fire-resistance ratings) so building control can see how the design keeps people safe. It is the plan-led form of a fire strategy, produced by a fire engineer to support a building regulations or planning application. SustainPlan arranges fire strategy plans across England and Wales through a network of chartered fire engineers.
Send your floor plans for a fixed-fee fire strategy plan quote.
What is a fire strategy plan?
A fire strategy plan presents a building’s fire-safety design on the drawings themselves. Where a fire strategy report explains the design in writing, a fire strategy plan shows it visually: the architect’s floor plans are marked up with the fire-safety information a building control officer needs to read the design at a glance.
A fire strategy plan typically shows:
Escape routes and exits: the direction of travel to safety, protected stairways and final exit doors.
Travel distances, how far someone travels to reach a safe exit.
Compartment lines, the fire-resisting walls and floors that divide the building (with their fire-resistance period in minutes).
Fire doors and their ratings, for example FD30 or FD60 (fire doors that resist fire for 30 or 60 minutes).
Fire-fighting and detection provisions: alarm zones, sprinkler coverage, firefighting shafts and hydrant positions.
Because it is drawing-based, a fire strategy plan is often the clearest way to communicate the strategy to the wider design team. On many projects it is issued with the written report; on smaller or plan-led jobs it can be the main deliverable.
Not a fire evacuation plan or a fire risk assessment. A fire strategy plan is a design document. It is not the occupier’s fire evacuation plan (the day-to-day procedure for getting people out of a building in use), and it is not a fire risk assessment (the legal assessment of an existing occupied building under the Fire Safety Order). Those cover buildings already in use; a fire strategy plan is part of designing or altering the building.
When do you need a fire strategy plan?
Building control or planning wants the fire-safety design shown on the plans, not only described.
Your project is relatively straightforward and a marked-up plan (with supporting notes) evidences compliance.
The design team needs a clear visual of escape routes and compartmentation to coordinate the design.
Your fire strategy plan must meet building regulations: the plan demonstrates compliance with Approved Document B (2019 edition as amended in England; separate Welsh edition) and the relevant British Standard (BS 9991:2024 residential, BS 9999:2017 non-residential).
A design and access statement for planning needs a fire-safety plan to accompany it.
How it works: our 5-step process
Send the floor plans (and building use and stage). We return a fixed-fee quote.
Design review against Approved Document B and the relevant British Standard.
Plan mark-up: we annotate the plans with escape routes, compartment lines, fire ratings and provisions.
Plan issued: you receive the annotated fire strategy plan (with a supporting note or the full report where needed), ready to submit.
Approval support, we respond to building control queries and revise if the design changes.
How much does a fire strategy plan cost?
Fire strategy plans are quoted per project on a fixed fee, driven by the number of floors and units, the building use, and whether the plan is issued alone or with a full report: so the fee rises with the number of plans to mark up, not with the length of the document.
Table: Fire strategy plan fee drivers by project type (UK, 2026)
Fire strategy plan and building regulations
A fire strategy plan is how the fire-safety design is shown to comply with the Building Regulations: principally Approved Document B (2019 edition as amended in England; Wales has its own edition), supported by BS 9991:2024 or BS 9999:2017 depending on building type, and a BS 7974:2019 engineered approach where the standard guidance does not fit. For higher-risk buildings in England, the fire strategy (report and plans) is the fire and emergency file that must be included in the building control approval application, commonly called Gateway 2, and granted before building work starts. The plan is not a substitute for the regulations, it is the evidence that the design meets them.
Plan vs report: which do you need?
The plan and the report are two forms of the same fire-safety design: the plan shows it, the report explains it, and most UK building control submissions use both together.
Table: Fire strategy plan vs fire strategy report (UK, 2026)
Most building control submissions use both together. Not sure? Send the drawings and we will advise honestly.
Validity and turnaround
The plan is valid while the building is built as drawn; a design change means a revision. Turnaround depends on the number of plans and the building’s complexity.
Our fire strategy services
Fire Strategy, the overview.
Fire Strategy Report, the written document that often accompanies the plan.
Fire Strategy Drawings, full colour-coded CAD drawings.
Fire Safety Strategy, for planning submissions.
Fire Strategy Consultant, work directly with a chartered fire engineer.
Retrospective Fire Strategy, for an existing building.
Fire Statement, the planning-stage fire statement for relevant residential schemes.
Fire Engineer, the chartered professional behind the plan.
Who we work with
Architects and architectural technologists, developers, contractors, self-builders, and building owners who need the fire-safety design shown clearly on the plans for approval.
Why choose us
Chartered fire engineers, every plan is arranged through a network of chartered fire engineers.
Fixed fees and plans building control can read.
Areas we cover
Across England and Wales, with particular coverage across Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Greater London and South Wales (Cardiff, Newport, Caerphilly, Swansea, Bridgend, Torfaen). (Links to ALL county hubs.)
Get a fixed-fee quote
Send your floor plans for a fixed-fee fire strategy plan quote. Send everything through the enquiry form.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fire strategy plan?
A fire strategy plan is a building’s fire-safety design shown on annotated floor plans (escape routes, compartment lines, fire door ratings and firefighting provisions) so building control can see how the design keeps people safe. It is the plan-led form of a fire strategy.
What is the difference between a fire strategy plan and a fire strategy report?
The plan shows the design visually on the floor plans; the report explains and justifies it in writing. Many submissions use both. Simpler, plan-led jobs may need only the annotated plan with a supporting note.
Does a fire strategy plan meet building regulations?
The plan is how the fire-safety design is shown to comply with the Building Regulations: mainly Approved Document B (2019 edition as amended in England, with a separate Welsh edition), supported by BS 9991:2024 or BS 9999:2017. A fire strategy plan evidences compliance; it does not replace the regulations themselves.
How much does a fire strategy plan cost?
It is quoted per project on a fixed fee, driven by the number of plans, the building use and whether it is issued with a full report. Send us the floor plans for a fixed-fee quote.
Is a fire strategy plan the same as a fire evacuation plan?
No. A fire strategy plan is a design document for approval. A fire evacuation plan is the occupier’s day-to-day procedure for getting people out of a building in use. Different documents for different stages of a building’s life.
Do I need a fire strategy plan for planning?
Where a design and access statement or planning condition requires the fire-safety design to be shown, a fire strategy plan provides it. Tell us the project and we will confirm what your application needs.
Get in touch
Send your drawings, get a fixed fee
Tell us about the building and what stage it has reached. Enquiries arriving in working hours are normally acknowledged the same day, with the fee following once the drawings have been read properly.
- We will tell you plainly if your project does not need one
- Fixed fee confirmed before any work starts
- Building control queries handled as part of the instruction
Everything routes through this form, so your enquiry reaches the engineer rather than a general mailbox.