'No' To Second Hand Fires Unless Inspection First

A spate of requests to install second hand fires has been keeping the council’s building staff busy lately.

“But unfortunately it’s busy saying ‘no’ we can’t issue a consent,” apologises manager environmental services Mike Brown.

In fact the only time a consent can be issued for a second hand fire is if an inspection has been carried out by a civil engineer.

“This is a costly exercise and even then the fireplace must have a five year guarantee,” Mr Brown says.

The majority of these fires can only be installed in rural areas as they won’t comply with the new air standards.

Staff felt the need to explain the regulations because so many requests were being declined district wide, he said