Double sided multi-fuel stove

We are going to install a new multi-fuel stove in our lounge. I have access to free timber &, with the current price of heating oil, it seems like a good idea to open up the back of the existing fire opening & install a double sided stove (only one opening door in the lounge) that will be visible in both the lounge & a large inner hall/dinning room. The inner hall provides central access to all parts of the 2 storey house (similar to an atrium); rear kitchen & conservatory out through to the rear garden; cloakroom, small hall & porch out through to the front garden. The inner hall also contains an access door through to the adjacent lounge & an open stairwell leading up to the second floor. The idea is that this type of stove will not just provide heat in the lounge but heat the inner hall & the rest of the house via the open stairway.

I am familiar & have experience with many BR’s & am aware of the requirements of Part J, this isn’t a problem & will be covered. What I’m unsure & a little concerned about is if there would be any possible ramifications of opening up the back of the existing fire into the inner hall which has the open stairway to the 2nd floor. Anyone have experience with this sort of installation? Am I likely to open up a whole can of worms on fire safety with this one

I have built a chimney in the centre of the room for one, and they can also be used to heat 2 rooms. Have you got enough room for the hearth in the hall?

Thanks for responding but your case would seem to be somewhat different as the stove is contained in one room, whereas with what I’m proposing, it would be in 2 rooms with large a hole around the stove!

Yes I do have space for a hearth in the inner hall but as there is no opening door on that side of the stove (just a glass panel), I was thinking maybe I could get away with either not having one or having just a very small one. That specifically concerns Part J which I don’t have a problem with but my main concern is that opening up the back of the fire enclosure in the lounge into the central inner hall would be construed as breaching the fire integrity of the inner hall & the rest of the house! The fire regulations (Part B) is one of the few BR’s I have very little experience with & given reading/understanding these documents is a bit like wading through treacle blindfolded, I was hoping for some guidance from someone with previous experience; any HEATAS engineers out there

Thought I would post back on this one for completeness & in case anyone else is interested. After a bit of a run-around, I finally received the following response from LABC;

"With regard to the opening of the fire into the hallway this would mean that your hallway would become part of the lounge and therefore all habitable rooms that lead off the hallway and the first floor will require windows suitable for means of escape. The suitable size is 0.33m² clear opening with no dimension smaller than 450mm with a cill height no greater than 1100mm from floor level.”

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I have 2 upstairs windows that don’t meet the criteria, they are only 3 years old & I have no intention of changing them; I was rather afraid of something like this so it would seem to be the end of that little idea; pitty!