Real estate developers working in the City of London will be asked to follow new guidelines to help prevent suicide attempts from tall buildings in the Square Mile.
The City of London Corporation’s draft planning advice note, Preventing suicides in high rise buildings and structures, sets out suicide prevention methods that the corporation wants to see taken into account by designers, developers and owners of buildings. If approved, the document will become “a material consideration in the determination of planning applications”, the corporation said.
“The City of London is a unique area,” the planning advice note said. “It has the highest daytime population of any local authority area in the UK, with hundreds of thousands of workers, together with residents, students, and visitors packed into just over a square mile of densely developed space. The City has three population groups which are potentially at risk of suicide: residents who live in the City; those who work in the City; and those who travel to the City with the intention of completing suicide from a City site.”
The paper noted that buildings of more than four storeys with roof access “present sites of increased suicide potential”, as do buildings by rivers. “However, if a location offers the means and opportunity for suicide, it also offers the means and opportunity for prevention,” it said, adding: “Putting in place physical barriers and staffing arrangements may deter, delay and allow detection, thus increasing the opportunity to help save lives.”
The paper outlined several prevention measures, including restricting access to particular sites or parts of buildings and installing barriers, which under UK regulation must have a height of at least 1.1m. Other options highlighted include safety nets below locations from which people could jump.
“Restricting access to the sites of potential suicides does not address an individual’s personal difficulties or relieve their mental distress, but it can interrupt the suicidal thought process,” the paper said. “It can buy time, thwarting impulsive acts and allowing individuals a chance to reconsider. It can also increase the chance of help reaching them.”
The paper also recommends increasing the “capacity for human intervention”, through measures such as improved CCTV surveillance, increased staffing and foot patrols. “While people may not be qualified in mental health, they can be equipped with basic knowledge and confidence to react appropriately. It has been proven that talking to people in suicidal distress is the most helpful method when preventing suicide, as it distracts vulnerable people from making an attempt on their lives.”
Finally, the guidelines encourage developers to clearly signpost available help for people, through steps such as free emergency telephones and providing a “sanctuary” – a “calm and safe place which is staffed to take distressed individuals”.
“The guidelines cannot cover every eventuality that may arise, and therefore professional judgement from suicide prevention experts and experienced engineers may be required,” the corporation’s paper said.
“It should be noted that no measure is a guaranteed solution when it comes to preventing suicide. A proactive approach that seeks to design out suicide should be encouraged, rather than a reactive one, when faced with the possibility of such a tragic and traumatic event.”
The mayor of London’s Health Inequalities Strategy 2018 tasked local authorities with taking steps to reduce suicides across London by 10% and ultimately help the capital become a zero suicide city. The City Corporation has a joint Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2017-2024 with the City of London Police.
The guidelines will be debated by the corporation next week.
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