Jones Hargreaves, the national commercial building, project and sustainability consultancy, has launched an in-house Fire Consultancy service in response to growing demand for specialist fire safety and strategy advice.
The new service will be led by Partners Simon Benton and Stuart Bourne, who have joined the business to establish and grow the Jones Hargreaves Fire Consultancy offering. The launch comes as changes to fire safety legislation and building compliance continue to increase demand for specialist advice across commercial, residential and mixed-use property sectors.
Together, Benton and Bourne bring more than 36 years’ combined experience across senior fire risk assessment, fire engineering, technical consultancy and analytical roles, providing clients with specialist expertise to support fire safety compliance, risk management and informed decision-making across property portfolios.
The Fire Consultancy will provide a comprehensive range of services, including Fire Engineering support across all RIBA Stages (0-7), Building Safety Act advice, Fire Risk Assessments, fire safety management, technical due diligence and specialist strategic advice.
Matthew Jones, Founding Partner of Jones Hargreaves, said: “We are focused on providing a seamless service for clients across every stage of a building’s lifecycle. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in demand for specialist fire safety advice, and it makes sense to bring this expertise in-house to ensure both new and existing clients have access to specialist fire safety expertise from the earliest stages of every project through to completion and ongoing asset management.
“Launching our Fire Consultancy is another important step in expanding our multi-disciplinary offer. I’m pleased to welcome Simon and Stuart to the Jones Hargreaves team. They have already made a positive impact on the business, and we look forward to seeing the opportunities ahead.”
The launch comes at a time of continued change in fire safety legislation and increasing scrutiny around building compliance. Acting as strategic advisers throughout the lifecycle of projects and property portfolios, Benton, Bourne and the wider team will help ensure fire safety is considered from the earliest stages of a project, rather than being treated solely as a compliance exercise. They will also provide clients with proactive advice as regulations continue to evolve.
Simon Benton, Partner – Fire Consultancy (Operations Lead) at Jones Hargreaves, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to influence fire safety strategies across a range of portfolios and schemes throughout the UK, as part of a holistic process. Having the opportunity to operate a fire consultancy with real integrity from scratch alongside a trusted and established leader in the commercial property sector is a real privilege.”
Stuart Bourne, Partner – Fire Consultancy (Technical lead) at Jones Hargreaves, added: “Being able to build this service from the ground up is really exciting. With a fast evolving regulatory landscape in fire regulations across both commercial and residential property sectors, it’s essential that owners, occupiers, investors and developers stay abreast of what this means for their assets. Making this an integral part of the multi-disciplinary expertise on offer at Jones Hargreaves will enable clients to move beyond compliance and embed fire safety as a strategic part of asset management. This is key to developing a life cycle of safer communities and places to work with longevity against an ever evolving landscape”.
Based at the Jones Hargreaves Birmingham office, Benton and Bourne will deliver a national service across commercial, residential and mixed-use property portfolios and expects to grow over the coming months. The consultancy also plans to expand its expertise into non-commercial property portfolios.
They join Jones Hargreaves’ growing multi-disciplinary team of building surveyors, ESG consultants and mechanical and electrical engineers, who advise investors, occupiers and developers across predominantly industrial, office and retail assets. The consultancy delivers a broad range of services, including building surveying, project management, technical due diligence, ESG consultancy and dilapidations for clients across the UK.
Established by founders Matthew Jones and Peter Hargreaves, and joined by Managing Partner, Matt Williams, the consultancy is a growing business which has a commitment to investing in its team and the next generation of the property industry. For more information, visit www.joneshargreaves.co.uk.
