New Construction / UK / 2011 / 02-Health and Wellbeing /
Hea 06 - Safety and Security
Information correct as of 26thApril 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.
Areas in the public domain - KBCN0587
Where areas within the site boundary will be public domain after construction, and the design/specification has been determined by the local authority/statutory body/planning permission etc, they can be excluded from the assessment of the 'Safe Access' criteria. Evidence would be required to demonstrate that this was the case.
Where the client/design team do not have control of the design of these areas, the development should not be prevented from achieving the credit.
Cyclist safe access - KBCN0188
Safe access for cyclists must be via a compliant cycle lane, unless it is demonstrated that it would be impractical to cycle for a short distance between the site entrance and cycle storage. For example, where a gate, door or barrier forces the cyclist to dismount and walk for a short distance to access the cycle storage and it would be impractical for cyclists to re-mount
1.
Where it is not practical to provide compliant cycle lane from the entrance to the cycle storage, the safety of cyclists and pedestrians must be maintained.
1. The intent is that this be a short distance, over which cyclists would typically not choose to re-mount and is anticipated to be no greater than 10m. In order to be considered compliant for greater distances, evidence must be provided of effective additional physical measures to deter cyclists from re-mounting.
29/09/2021 - Additional note (1) added to provide further clarification of the intent
21/02/2020 Re-worded to clarify the intent
02 Jul 2021 - Applicability to UK NC2018 confirmed
Dedicated cycle lanes/paths - KBCN1384
The term 'dedicated' is not intended to preclude cycle routes which are shared with pedestrians or vehicles. The assessor may deem such arrangements compliant, provided that they meet the requirements of the approved external guidance referred to in the criteria.
Dedicated cycle paths in the absence of cycle facilities - KBCN00039
Safe cycle access needs to be provided even if there are no dedicated cycle facilities. The dedicated cycle paths will generally need to be provided to the main entrance(s) of the building along routes likely to be used by cyclists through the site. The design team are required to determine what is required to satisfy the intent of the criteria.
Cycle access and cyclists' facilities are assessed independently of each other. Building users may cycle even if the building does not have cycle storage facilities and so safe and secure access to and from the building must be provided.
Designing out crime officer (DOCO) - KBCN000005
As stated in the ‘Secured by Design (SBD) New Homes 2014 Application and Checklist’ form, the Crime Prevention Design Adviser (CPDA) or Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) has been renamed to Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) therefore correspondence or a copy of the report/feedback from the DOCO is acceptable as evidence for this issue.
Deviation from SQSC recommendations - KBCN0211
Where the design team believes that a safe and secure site can be met through different solutions than those specified by the SQSC, these alternatives should be confirmed as appropriate by the SQSC and their agreement submitted as part of the evidence for this issue.
If the design team has justifiable reason not to include all recommendations, the assessor should submit a technical query detailing this information for further review by BRE.
Principle
The intention is to guarantee some flexibility in case of conflict with planning conditions or other statutory requirements.
Late appointment of SQSC/SQSS - KBCN0339
Provided the appropriate security specialist confirms that the implementation of security measures has not been restricted due to the later stage at which their involvement was sought, i.e. everything that would have been recommended can be still be implemented, then the credits can still be awarded (provided all other compliance requirements met).
Considering the security requirements at an early stage of a project should ensure that the full range of security options is still available to the project, leading to the best solution. If advice is sought later but this does not restrict the options available, then the intent of the issue can still be met.
Restricted movement within a secure perimeter - KBCN000009
Where the movement of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles is tightly controlled within a secure perimeter due to security considerations, these areas may be excluded from the safe access criteria. Where the whole assessment is within such a zone, the credit may be awarded by default.
08 Jun 2022 Applicability to UK NC2018 confirmed
Safe access – vehicle delivery routes - KBCN1046
Vehicle delivery routes which cross cycle or pedestrian routes may be acceptable provided there are adequate physical control measures in place to ensure safe access and thus minimise the possibility of delivery vehicles coming into conflict with cyclists and pedestrians.
Examples of such measures could be vehicle barriers or retractable vehicle bollards, which only allow access to delivery vehicles when required and whose operation and controls account for cycle and pedestrian movements.
18 Mar 2021 wording clarified
07.06.2018 Intent and wording clarified.
Safe access criteria requirements for small infill developments and extensions - KBCN0810
For smaller infill developments (typically those with a total gross floor area of less than 1,000m
2) where there is no opportunity to make changes to the surrounding site or access to the building itself (other than those directly related to connecting building access points to existing pathways etc.), it is recognised that full compliance with the BREEAM criteria for safe access may not be achievable. This applies to developments where either:
- the assessed building lies within an existing site or campus under single ownership or
- the assessed building is an extension to existing buildings within an existing site or campus
In such instances the existing site layout should undergo a risk assessment against the BREEAM 'Safe Access' criteria to identify areas where there is potential for enhancement across the site. The findings should be reported to the client and design team and any non-compliant aspects should be resolved as far as practically possible within the scope of the project, however there is no express requirement to achieve full compliance in every respect. Where the assessor is satisfied that the above requirements have been met, the credit for 'Safe access' can be awarded.
31/03/17 Reference to achieving 'Security' credit removed
Secure Government sites – Security criteria (2011-2014 schemes) - KBCN0785
Government security procedures, such as those for MoD sites, may take precedence in dealing with security risk. Therefore, the Secured by Design criteria under which this issue is assessed may not be appropriate.
However, BREEAM requires that a Suitably Qualified Security Specialist/Consultant (SQSS/C), such as the MoD security consultant, should be consulted during or prior to the Concept Design stage or equivalent, and the final design must embody the recommendations / solutions of the MoD security consultant, in line with the security criteria.
Evidence requirements
Where it is confirmed that, due to security issues, the assessor cannot provide complete evidence of the security assessment and implementation of the recommended measures, the following can be accepted:
A written statement or report from the SQSS confirming:
- Justification of why the evidence requirements cannot be met
- Details confirming their status as SQSS for the project
- Dates of their consultations and inspections
- Confirmation that all the recommended security measures have been implemented
06/07 Mar 2024 - Title updated and minor clarifications to wording. Additional paragraph on 'Evidence requirements' added
Secured by Design certificate - KBCN0772
The Secured by Design (SBD) consultation process, when undertaken in-line with the BREEAM criteria, may provide an appropriate framework for demonstrating compliance, however achieving SBD certification is not a specific requirement of BREEAM.
27/02/17 Amended to clarify that SBD framework may comply but BREEAM criteria must be met
Security – Change of SQSS and recommendations - KBCN1044
If the SQSS working on the project changes during the assessment, the recommendations of the original SQSS can be modified if the new SQSS can provide justification for this.
Third party licensing or registration scheme - KBCN0902
A specialist registered with a BREEAM recognised third party licensing or registration scheme for security specialists can be considered a Suitably Qualified Security Specialist for the purposes of compliance with BREEAM Hea 06.
The following are currently recognised as a third party licensing or registration scheme for an SQSS;
• SABRE Registered Professional
Only SABRE Registered Professionals holding the designation ‘SQSS’ are recognised. A live list of SABRE Registered Professionals and their designations can be found on
www.redbooklive.com. Further information regarding the SABRE Registered Professional can be found on the SABRE website (
www.bregroup.com/sabre).
(21/03/2018) Updated to include applicability to BREEAM UK NC 2011
(19/07/2018) Updated to clarify recognition of SABRE
(03/11/2021) Issue 2.0 of the UK RFO technical manual has be amended to include this information. The information is still relevant to previous versions of the manual.
Information correct as of 26thApril 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.