A warm welcome

Following my posts about USM's insistence that their tent can't be heated, I decided to seek the advice of those in the know. I emailed some professional companies in the field of temporary structures:

Subject: Heating temporary structures

I am investigating proposals for a temporary structure to accommodate a market for up to three years.

Only one proposal has been submitted for consideration so far and I am concerned that some of the information that has been given may be incorrect. It has been stated that the structure cannot be heated as it would be problematic and illegal. Specifically, we have been told:-

"a temporary structure would be difficult to heat and in addition it was illegal to heat temporary structures"

"it was not practical to heat an un-insulated structure aside from the fact that it is against building regulations to heat a temporary structure"

"heating the tented structure would breach building regulations, would be environmentally unfriendly and would be costly"

Can I please ask you to comment on these assertions as I believe them to be incorrect and I am concerned that the wrong supplier may be selected.

Thank you in anticipation

Without identifying the companies, I thought you'd like to see the two responses I've received thus far. The first is pretty definite about USM's position and would be keen to help (my asterisks to preserve confidentiality):

Thank you for your ****** and ********* enquiry and for showing interest in ****** Limited. Please be reassured that it is not illegal to heat a temporary building be it insulated or non-insulated - although obviously not practical to heat a non-insulated building!

We have attached a copy of our brochure that illustrates how our multipurpose buildings can be used to create instant space for a variety of applications. Thanks to the robust modular design, our temporary buildings have the versatility of extending/reducing in size or being totally re-locatable in keeping with our client’s requirements and needs.

This is further enhanced with the flexibility to hire or buy a building; there is no minimum or maximum hire period and there is a sell back option available. Our temporary and permanent structures are available for hire or sale in both the UK and overseas. Our buildings are available in 5m modules for both width and length, with eave heights of 4.2m, 5.2m and 6.2m.

We would like the opportunity to work with your company, if you think you have a requirement for a temporary building and would like to discuss the options available to you please do contact us.

The second company is just as positive about heating, and also gives some helpful planning advice:

The situation is that it is definitely not illegal to heat temporary structures - we do it all the time. However if you are talking about getting planning permission for a temporary structure to be up for anything over 2 years, it needs to conform to building regulations. This is where it falls down. Most temporary structures cannot keep the heat retention that is required to satisfy these regulations. However if you were to apply for 2 years, then there is no problem. If you are using a planning consultant perhaps he can advise the best route to go - perhaps apply for 2 years and then extend for 1 year.

I would be pleased to speak to you about this and also to give you a cost to supply you with a proposal if that was possible.

So there you have it. Let's see what excuse USM can come up with next time the subject is raised.