Homes could see 'ugly' safety feature added to 'prevent falls from windows'

Developers are being encouraged to add metal guards to windows in a bid to prevent people from falling, with the feature also ensuring a property is well-ventilated

"Bonkers" building guidelines could lead to "clunky" and "ugly" safety features being installed in new homes, with the potential for hefty bars to be fixed on upper-floor windows to prevent falls.

The metal guards are suggested as a means to stop people from falling out of windows while also promoting good ventilation. The Ministry of Housing's statutory guidance document advises developers to consider metal guards for windows that have sills lower than 1.1m and can open more than 10cm.

Samuel Hughes, an Oxford University research fellow and Head of Housing at the CPS think tank, took to social media to draw attention to the changes, criticising the "ugly" bars for obstructing other uses of window sills, according to the Express.

Published in December 2021 and updated in June 2022, the guidance is now seeing its effects as buildings "produced under these regulations" begin to enter the market, Samuel noted. He remarked: "We are beginning to see what the house of the future will look like."

While he acknowledged that the guidance "recommends and incentivises 1.1m guards as a way of complying with the regulation, and they are indeed often so used by developers " he clarified that it doesn't "strictly require them". The debate has spilled over to social media, where one user commented: "There are better-looking solutions than these bars, but it is a good idea I think.", reports Birmingham Live.

One critic slammed the guidance as "bonkers", and another moaned: "I can see those ending up in everybody's loft until the time comes to sell the house..." The Express has reached out to The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for a statement.