Municipality Montferland: Fire safety measures for a building

Building Permits

You need an environmental permit for fire-safe use for certain buildings (e.g. a crèche, café or hotel). This used to be known as a ‘permit of use’. The municipality will impose additional requirements for the building’s fire safety, should this be necessary. These requirements are to prevent fire, fire hazards and accidents in the event of fire.

Notification for buildings and temporary structures

You must submit a fire safety notice to the municipality for some buildings. For example, for buildings where more than 50 people are present at the same time. This also applies to temporary structures, such as construction site offices. You must notify the municipality. This is free of charge.

Notifications of sites and other places

National rules on the fire safety of ‘other places’ came into force on 1 January 2018 to promote fire safety in places like event grounds, festivals and campsites. These rules can be found in the Fire-safe use and basic emergency assistance for other places decree (Besluit brandveilig gebruik en basishulpverlening overige plaatsen).  It concerns places that can be used for organised purposes. Temporary structures erected in such places also fall under this ruling, such as a tent at an event site, a stand or a podium. The decree contains provisions which must always be adhered to.

You are sometimes obliged to report an activity. You must notify the municipality at least four weeks before the start of the activity. You can do this by filling out the ‘Notification for fire-safe use and basic emergency assistance for other places form’ (Meldingsformulier brandveilig gebruik en basishulpverlening overige plaatsen) and emailing this with the requisite supporting documents to vergunningen@montferland.info. The situations in which you must notify us and what supporting documents are required are indicated on the form.

If you also need to apply for an event permit, you do not need to submit a separate fire-safety in ‘other places’ report. In Montferland, we decided to include this in the application for an event permit.

• As a private individual, you’ll need your DigiD login details;
• As a business, you’ll need your eRecognition and Chamber of Commerce branch number.

During your online application, you will be told what documents you have to send in.

These might include, for example:

• A site plan sketch to a scale of at least 1:1000;
• A floor plan per storey or site to a scale of at least 1:100;

  • for each floor plan;

    • floor height
    • surface area
    • maximum number of persons
    • fire and/or smoke barriers;
    • escape routes and how these are indicated
    • direction of rotation of doors
    • self-closing doors and door closing mechanisms
    • emergency lighting
    • fire alarm centre and panel
    • all extinguishing equipment
    • fire brigade entrance

The municipality will send you a confirmation of the receipt of your application. The municipality then makes a preliminary decision. This decision is provisional. If you disagree with the preliminary decision, you should communicate this within 6 weeks by submitting a zienswijze letter. Your zienswijze letter should include:

• Your name;
• The file number of the preliminary decision;
• The reason for your objection to the preliminary decision;
• The date of your zienswijze letter;
• Your signature.

You can check if you need a permit or whether you only need to submit a notification by clicking on the ‘Notify/apply for permit‘ button.

Request the permit at least 6 months in advance. You may not use the building before you have the permit.

Permit

You must request a fire-safely environmental permit in the following cases:

• You provide sleeping quarters to more than 10 people. For example, in a hotel, guesthouse, hospital or nursing home;
• More than 10 people of under 12 years of age are present in the building during the daytime. For example, at a primary school or crèche.
• More than 10 people with a physical or mental disability are present in the building during the daytime. For example, at a day centre.

Please note! It is a criminal offence to fail to request an environmental permit for fire-safe use when obliged to do so.

Notification

When at least 50 people gather together, you must make a notification of fire-safe use. You can do this, for example, in following cases:

• Education for children over 12 years of age and adults: secondary education buildings;
• Light industry, for example, a shed, barn or greenhouse;
• Office, for example, a bank building, town hall or provincial government building;
• Meetings, for example, in a conference centre, church, community centre or theatre;
• Swimming pools, gyms, sports halls or fitness centres;
• A shopping centre, department store, supermarket, station building or a petrol station shop.

Notification for buildings and temporary structures

Notify us at least 4 weeks in advance. State that this a ‘notification of use’ (gebruiksmelding).

The municipality will send you confirmation of your notification. The municipality can follow up your notification by imposing conditions for the fire-safe use of your building. You must comply with these conditions.

Fees will be charged when you apply for an environmental permit for fire-safe use. For an up-to-date overview of fees, please consult the fee ordinance at www.overheid.nl.

For a permit: 6 months. The municipality may extend this once by 6 weeks.

For a notification: your notification and supporting documents must be submitted at least 4 weeks before you start using the building, structure or site.

• If you disagree with the municipality’s decision, you can appeal to the court within 6 weeks. You may only do this if you have previously submitted a zienswijze letter in response to the preliminary decision;
• If you disagree with the decision about your notification, you can file and objection with the municipality within 6 weeks.