Perth & Kinross Council said sprinklers to suppress fires will be built into all new developments which are currently at design stage and going forward.

Earlier this month, David Stewart, a Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands, proposed to bring forward legislation to make the installation of sprinklers mandatory in all new-build social housing.

A BBC Scotland investigation in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed the lives of 71 people in the North Kensington tower block last June, found there are no sprinklers in over 300 high-rise buildings managed by Scottish councils and social landlords.

Housing & communities committee convener, Councillor Peter Barrett, said: “The safety of tenants and residents is of utmost importance to Perth & Kinross Council. Our housing team works very closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, regularly reviewing fire safety and prevention arrangements to ensure that we protect and safeguard or tenants and local residents.

“We have introduced a range of fire safety and prevention measures in our six high-rise blocks at Potterhill, Pomarium, Market, Milne and Lickley as part of our capital improvement programme. These improvements include secure door entry systems, hard-wired smoke detectors in each council flat, safety lights, fire retardant paint in communal stairs, and fire doors on individual council flats and storage areas.

“Staff training and awareness sessions in fire safety and prevention have been refreshed. Operational arrangements such as regular inspections of common closes and stairwells and monthly audits of fire safety arrangements ensure the risk of fire and the ability of fire to take hold are minimised and are instrumental to a preventative approach.

“The importance of fire safety to our tenants is re-emphasised through our communications including leaflets, posters and social media on an ongoing and regular basis.”

Image by Brandon Leon – Flickr: Day 25: Fire Sprinkler, CC BY-SA 2.0