Aligning shopfront outdoor walkway fire code width standards with BCA’s 2025 code on accessibility requirements for seniors and mobility aid users

Question:

Mr David Hoe: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether SCDF can assess if the Fire Code’s 1.2 - metre clear width minimum standard for outdoor display areas along covered shopfront walkways should be updated or differenti ated, in light of the Building and Construction Authority's 2025 Code on Accessibility requiring 1.5 - metre primary accessible routes for residential buildings and passing spaces below 1.8 metres, to serve seniors, mobility-aid users and families.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The Building and Construction Authority’s Code on Accessibility provides baseline requirements for accessible and inclusive buildings. It stipulates a minimum width of 1.5 metres or 1.8 metres for primary accessible routes, depending on the building type. For instance, a width of 1.5 metres would allow sufficient space for a wheelchair user and another person to pass each other.

2. The Fire Code has a different purpose. It establishes the minimum requirements for fire safety provisions in all buildings. This includes a stipulation that all escape routes in commercial developments must have a minimum width of 1.2 metres, including commercial shopfronts. This requirement is sufficient for evacuation during emergencies, and there is no intention to review it at this point in time.