Gary Jones

We've been running events in our church for many number of years with a stated max capacity of 450 (which is admittedly very full). However most events and services have well under 200. Only a few very popular services around Christmas and some external hirer events exceed 250. We've recently had an FRA which has recommended a max capacity of 260 for evacuation purposes. By opening up an external door in our choir vestry the number has been increased to 309. A couple of questions. 1. Are we obliged to restrict numbers in the church based on the FRA given that we feel it may be safe and reasonable to allow larger numbers with other measures in place? 2. We would like to keep our vestry locked and only open it up as a fire exit when numbers exceed 260. Is it possible to have a temporary fire exit in this way?