Planned legislation will make safety installations mandatory for entertainment venues, but Mark Stone from Securiscape says architects working on projects in all sectors should take a leaf from its book
The cost of living crisis and pandemic may have dominated the headlines in recent months, but the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect the population from physical harm from terrorists and extremists have continued in the background.
Unsurprisingly, much of the thinking has concerned the ways in which the built environment can be designed to protect members of the public going about their daily lives. This is not a new concept, but there is new impetus thanks to the planned introduction of Protect Duty, the new legal requirement that aims to make entertainment venue owners and event organisers responsible for keeping people safe from terrorist attacks.
This is being introduced in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017 and was formerly referred to as Martyn’s Law. Martyn Murray was one of those who died, and whose mother has campaigned for greater protection for concert-goers.
The new law acknowledges that – unlike some sports grounds or on public transport – there has been no requirement to take steps to prevent similar incidents to that which happened at Manchester, or the terror incident at the Berlin Christmas market in 2016. These would include installing security measures such as HVM (hostile vehicle mitigation) barriers, having an action plan or giving specific training.
It’s hoped this will make people safer when they attend a pop concert, Christmas market or outdoor festival. It reflects a wider movement that is taking place whereby a growing number of organisations, including property owners, local councils, insurers and local counter-terrorism officers, are already mindful of the need to consider the same HVM measures for all manner of buildings and developments.
Not only that, but they are being encouraged to consider such measures at the planning stage rather than, as is often the case, when a development project is nearing completion and, in some instances, getting close to being handed over.
Installing safety devices is not impossible at this stage but it is far from ideal. For a start, retrofitting products and digging up freshly-laid paving is more expensive than installing the features during the hard landscaping in the first place, and this can be problematic if underground services are present just where a defensive installation needs to go.
And then there is the effect on the look of the scheme. Many times we have been called in and an architect’s beautifully conceived scheme has been altered because a row of bollards or concrete barriers have had to be added at the last minute to ensure safety.
Solutions
The good news is that our industry is extremely flexible and, in my view, is one of the most innovative industries at work in the UK today in this area. This is because of the way in which it has found solutions that are able to offer the desired amount of performance without turning a public space into a fortress.
There is always the need to balance cost with aesthetics, of course, and bollards will always be popular, but many products are available that, properly installed, will offer a defensive capability without sticking out like a sore thumb.
This is where being able to plan early comes in handy. Road layouts designed to slow traffic and prevent a vehicle from getting up speed, low walls and strategically planted sculptures can all offer an easy, cheap and inconspicuous defence mechanism to foil an attack.
Then there is specially designed street furniture which blends form and function with protection. Bike stands, seats and street planters, all of which should be crash-tested to the PAS 68/IWA 14 standard, can be used to create a ‘ring of steel,’ as long as they are placed in such a way that a vehicle cannot simply weave around them.
They don’t have to be concrete either: high-tech lightweight products which harness the laws of physics rather than simple bulk and weight are available in a range of finishes, including brushed steel, decorative concrete and patinated brass.
While a row of hastily installed bollards can detract from a design scheme, they can alternatively be supplied in a range of finishes, including heritage designs sympathetic to conservation areas.
Some also have the extra bonus of being movable – either manually or via a power source – so that a row of bollards can do the job of an arm or gate barrier, meaning that vehicles can be prevented from gaining access but pedestrians or cyclists can pass straight through.
All of these innovations are the result of many years’ development, often thanks to architects, counter-terrorism security advisers (CTSAs) or representatives from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) requesting new solutions to specific challenges.
Part of the recommendation of the Protect Duty legislation is that architects should undertake a threats, vulnerabilities and risk assessment (TVRA) approach to identify risk, with experts able to advise them on the specification, supply, installation, deployment and servicing of HVM equipment, and we believe that this should be standard across all industries and developments.
Incidents of people using vehicles as weapons are thankfully rare, but vehicles still pose a threat through drink-driving, accidents, ram-raiding thieves and protesters aiming to use damaging property to make a statement.
There is never anything more important than safety and during its consultation period Protect Duty received widespread approval, but if HVM is to work – and to spread beyond the entertainment and hospitality sector – then incorporating it into schemes as early as possible will work best for everybody involved.
Mark Stone is managing director at Securiscape