Building control inspector unsure about FP pocket door

Thanks all for reading this post which I'd mistakenly posted in the stairs forum.
We've just had a loft extension completed in our house along with some internal renovation work, the latter of which has opened up the ground floor.
The building control officer who visited this week wasn't sure whether the fire rated pocket door we plan to have (identified by the large red arrow on the attached plan) which separates the kitchen and living room from the dining room and the staircase from the 1st floor and loft will suffice to meet the Approved Document B regulations in relation to fire safety. He said he'd look into it and let us know next week. I've read through other posts on the forum, along with the Approved Document B and I'm still not clear if it will.
I therefore want to call upon the wisdom of those of you here in order to seek your sage advice!
The question I'm flummoxed about is the following - in your opinion will a fire protected (FP30) door of any kind in the position of the red arrow on the attached plan, dividing the kitchen/living room from the rest of the house provide an adequate escape route from the building in the event of fire and thereby allow building control, who were unsure, to do that? Of note the stairway down to the ground floor is 'protected'. Thanks again

Probably unlikely a pocket door would provide a suitable barrier to heat and smoke, though I might be wrong - others may advise.
But why have a pocket door in the first place? what's wrong with an ordinary door in that position?

Certainly brands like Portman and Eclise? advertise their products on the basis of being certified

tony1851 said:

Probably unlikely a pocket door would provide a suitable barrier to heat and smoke, though I might be wrong - others may advise.
But why have a pocket door in the first place? what's wrong with an ordinary door in that position?

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Thanks Tony1851. The pocket door will be fire rated, as an ordinary door would be, so it's just a design choice. I'm simply trying to get a better understanding as to whether having any type of fire rated door in this position will allow the requirements in the Fire Safety approve document regarding means of escape to be met.

Nakajo said:

Certainly brands like Portman and Eclise? advertise their products on the basis of being certified

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Thanks Nakajo, these firms do have verified fire rated pocket doors. Do you have a view as to whether a fire protection door in this position would allow the means of escape requirements in Approved Document B to be met? Thanks again.

Well, it's the regulation with which you have to comply (the short, green paragraph somewhere near the beginning of the document); the rest of the AD simply provides a method for compliance. So my view is less relevant than that of the AI/BCO.

That said, no one ever closes doors in houses, so far more important than a working door, is a working smoke alarm.

Personally, I wouldn't put a door in this location; with the consent of the AI/BCO, I'd install a mist suppression system instead.

If the manufacturer certifies it as a fire door set then its a fire door set just like any other of similar rating, and can be used anywhere that any similar fire door can.

The only thing to bear in mind is that many fire doors have had there certification withdrawn since Grenfell, as they were not actually tested properly so the certification may be invalid. This is what needs to be checked.

^woody^ said:

If the manufacturer certifies it as a fire door set then its a fire door set just like any other of similar rating, and can be used anywhere that any similar fire door can.

The only thing to bear in mind is that many fire doors have had there certification withdrawn since Grenfell, as they were not actually tested properly so the certification may be invalid. This is what needs to be checked.

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Thanks Woody, I'll certainly make sure I check the certification.

Doesn't the staircase discharge into the dining room which isn't a protected escape route to a place of safety outside the building ? !

i had a portman fd30 pocket door fitted with a fire door hung inside. the door frame has intumescent strips on all exposed parts, and also where the door goes into the pocket. The pocket itself is metal clad in fire rated plasterboard. In my case, my wife wanted the door left open most/all of the time, however as i want to put a loft in, i decided to go with the pocket door, with a magnetic latch. This is wired up to my interlinked smoke alarm via relay base, so if any of the alarms activate, the magnet looses power and door closes. BC was happy with the setup when he signed off on the extension. Overall pocket door was expensive - the door alone cost me £1k including 4 pane of fire rated glass, as the door is 1m wide. In my case there was very little option for a traditional opening door, and mist systems weren't really available - just sprinkler.