Fire Risk Assessment for Shopping Centres in Cardiff

A shopping centre is one of the harder commercial buildings to fire-risk-assess. Responsibility splits between the centre operator, who holds the common parts, and each retail tenant, who controls their demised unit. Escape routes cross both boundaries and detection systems interlink. Peak Saturday occupancy in a Cardiff centre spans several thousand people across two or three floors, with food court kitchens venting hot oil, stockrooms holding retail packaging by the pallet, and back-of-house corridors doubling as evacuation routes. A fire risk assessment brings all of that under a single documented framework the Responsible Person for each area can act on. 

Fire Risk Assessments for Cardiff Shopping Centre Operators and Tenants 

We carry out fire risk assessments for shopping centre operators, tenant retailers and facilities teams across St David’s, the Capitol Shopping Centre, Queens Arcade, The Hayes and the retail parks around Cardiff Bay. Assessments form part of our wider electrical and fire safety offer across Cardiff. Assessors cover both the common parts assessment (owned by the centre operator) and individual tenant unit assessments, coordinating findings so nothing sits in the boundary between the two. Every assessment lands as a written report with prioritised actions, owners for each item and a recommended completion timeline. 

What Your Shopping Centre Fire Risk Assessment Covers 

Our assessors cover: 

• Fire hazards across common parts, retail units, stockrooms and food court kitchens 

• People at risk, including staff, visitors, lone workers and anyone with reduced mobility 

• Escape routes, exit signage, travel distances and evacuation capacity at peak occupancy 

• Fire detection, alarm coverage and how it interfaces with tenant-installed systems 

• Emergency lighting across concourses, escape routes and back-of-house corridors 

• Fire compartmentation between units and common parts 

• Flammables storage, waste management and housekeeping 

• Fire safety training and drill records for centre-employed staff 

Findings feed into a written report that becomes the working document for centre management and the reference point at your next insurer or landlord audit. 

Multi-Tenant Responsibility Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 

Every non-domestic building in Wales sits under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires a Responsible Person to arrange a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. In a Cardiff shopping centre, the duty is shared. The centre operator holds it for the common parts and each tenant holds it for their unit. Our assessors work alongside centre management so both sides of the boundary are covered, and our guide on whether you need a fire risk assessment sets out where the duty falls in more detail. 

How Often Shopping Centre Fire Risk Assessments Should Be Reviewed 

We recommend reviewing your fire risk assessment at least annually for a shopping centre, and any time there is a material change on site. That includes new tenant fit-outs, food court refits, changes in occupancy patterns, alterations to compartmentation, or upgrades to detection and alarm systems. Assessments sit alongside routine fire alarm testing and emergency lighting testing as part of your ongoing compliance record. 

Book a Fire Risk Assessment for Your Cardiff Shopping Centre 

Send a short note describing the site, its tenant mix and the areas you want covered, and we will build a quote around your operating pattern. Assessors are experienced across multi-tenant retail environments and reports are written for the person who has to act on them.