North-West London

Fire Safety & Security Services in Hampstead & Belsize Park

Fire risk assessments, fire doors, fire alarms and CCTV for managing agents, landlords, schools and commercial occupiers across Hampstead, Belsize Park, Swiss Cottage and South Hampstead.

NW3 combines Grade I houses beside Hampstead Heath, stucco villas divided into flats and the Royal Free Hospital on Pond Street. Our engineers leave Hayes on the A40 to Hanger Lane, take the A406 North Circular to Brent Cross, then follow the A41 Hendon Way and Finchley Road south. IDS Global has traded since 2011 from 27-37 Station Road, Hayes, and is a member of the IFSM and the FPA.

Businesses and buildings in Hampstead & Belsize Park

Camden's Local Plan names Hampstead and Finchley Road / Swiss Cottage among its six town centres. It says significant growth is not expected in Hampstead because the centre is not highly accessible by public transport, while Finchley Road / Swiss Cottage is one of the highly accessible centres where extra floorspace of more than 200 sq m must include 50 per cent self-contained housing. Swiss Cottage has the O2 Centre, Hampstead Theatre and the Grade II listed Central Library. Belsize Village and Haverstock Hill have restaurants, pubs, cafés and independent shops.

Most other buildings are homes and schools. Between 1851 and the late 1860s developers built more than 250 stucco semi-detached houses in Belsize Park, and many of the larger houses are now flats. The Local Plan says Hampstead and Belsize Park have a very high concentration of schools, and Camden's Fitzjohns/Netherhall appraisal records small independent schools among the houses.

Fire Risk Assessments in Hampstead and Belsize Park

On 18 March 2025 ten engines and around 70 firefighters attended a fire in a converted detached house on Netherhall Gardens. London Fire Brigade reports that a fourth-floor flat and the roof were destroyed, ten people left before crews arrived, and one man was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. The cause was accidental, from unattended cooking.

For houses of that scale we assess the common stair, flat entrance doors, alarm cover, emergency lighting and the escape route from every floor, including lower-ground flats, then rank the actions by risk.

Fire risk assessments

Fire Door Installation in Hampstead and Belsize Park

In February 2023 a fire damaged a second-floor flat in a converted semi-detached house on Belsize Park Gardens. Crews from Kentish Town and Euston attended, and the Brigade believed a microwave was involved.

In a divided villa the flat entrance door and the door onto the shared stair protect the escape route. We supply and fit certified fire door sets with matched frames, seals and closers and inspect existing doors that have been trimmed or wedged. On a listed house or a street frontage in a conservation area, confirm any external change with Camden first.

Fire door installation

Fire Alarm Installation in Hampstead and Belsize Park

In September 2025 crews from Soho, Kentish Town and Finchley attended a fire on West Heath Road that damaged part of the lower-ground floor of a detached house. In January 2025 a fire destroyed the ground floor of a flat in a block on Rowley Way, South Hampstead, and the Brigade believed it was an electrical fault.

We design and install BS 5839 systems for flat blocks, schools and offices, and extend detection to lower-ground rooms. In listed houses we choose low-profile devices and agree cable routes with the building fabric in mind.

Fire alarm installation

CCTV Installation in Hampstead and Belsize Park

Police.uk records for August 2025 to July 2026 show about 562 shoplifting offences, 536 vehicle crimes and 406 burglaries across the Hampstead Town, Belsize, Frognal and South Hampstead neighbourhoods.

For shops, flat blocks and schools we cover entrances, bin and cycle stores and car parks, with cameras suited to the light and distance on site, and recordings that can be passed to the police.

CCTV installation

Grade I houses, conservation areas and the Heath

Kenwood House, on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, is Grade I listed. So are Burgh House on New End Square, built in 1704, and Fenton House, completed in 1693. Camden's Fitzjohns/Netherhall Conservation Area was designated in 1984 and extended in 1988, 1991 and 2001, and includes Grade I No. 6 Ellerdale Road. Swiss Cottage is bounded by five conservation areas, among them Belsize and South Hampstead.

The City of London Corporation manages the Heath. Its wildfire page, updated on 9 September 2026, says fires, barbecues and sky lanterns are never permitted in its green spaces and that it works closely with London Fire Brigade.

Basements, converted houses and shared homes

Camden's Policy A5 allows a basement only where the council is satisfied it will not harm neighbours, ground or water conditions, the building or heritage assets. It requires a Basement Impact Assessment and limits a basement to one storey, not under an existing basement. A lower-ground flat is still a home whose alarm cover and escape route need checking.

On 2 July 2025 Camden announced it was renewing its HMO licensing scheme for five years, to December 2030, covering shared homes, flat shares, student housing, bedsits and some converted buildings. Its review found that 94 per cent of licensed HMOs needed work, with fire and electrical safety among the most common improvements.

The Royal Free, local fire stations and alarm calls

The Royal Free Hospital on Pond Street has 839 beds and is described as the largest employer in Hampstead. London Fire Brigade's Camden page lists three stations, Kentish Town, Euston and West Hampstead on West End Lane. West Hampstead crews attended the Netherhall Gardens and Rowley Way fires, and joined Euston and Holloway at a candle fire on Russell Place, Belsize Park, in March 2024.

Under the Brigade's automatic alarm policy, hospitals, flats, HMOs, schools and Grade I, II and II* listed buildings are attended at any hour. Elsewhere, between 7am and 8.30pm crews attend only when a 999 call confirms a fire.

Recorded crime in the NW3 neighbourhoods

We counted police.uk street-level crimes inside each Metropolitan Police neighbourhood boundary for August 2025 to July 2026. Police.uk anonymises locations, so the figures are approximate. South Hampstead recorded about 1,556 crimes, Belsize 1,552, Hampstead Town 1,077 and Frognal 445. Theft from the person was about 144 in South Hampstead and 137 in Belsize, against 82 in Hampstead Town and 21 in Frognal.

Services available in Hampstead & Belsize Park

Frequently asked questions

Does a shared flat in Belsize Park or Hampstead need an HMO licence?

Camden's scheme, renewed in July 2025 to run to December 2030, covers shared homes, flat shares, student housing, bedsits and some converted buildings, so check your property against the council's current rules. Its review found 94 per cent of licensed HMOs needed work. We can assess the fire alarm, doors and escape route before you apply.

Will the fire brigade attend every alarm at a Hampstead school or listed house?

Yes, at any hour. The Brigade's policy attends alarms at schools, flats, HMOs, hospitals and Grade I, II and II* listed buildings whatever the time. Camden says Hampstead and Belsize Park have a very high concentration of schools. Shops and offices outside those categories are attended between 7am and 8.30pm only after a 999 call confirms a fire.

Can you fit CCTV or an alarm bell box on a listed house in Hampstead?

Yes, with agreement. Hampstead has Grade I houses, and the Fitzjohns/Netherhall appraisal lists Grade I and Grade II buildings within one conservation area. We survey first, favour compact housings and internal cable routes, and recommend agreeing external fixings with Camden's planning team before any work starts.

How much burglary and vehicle crime is recorded in NW3?

Our count of police.uk records for August 2025 to July 2026 inside the Hampstead Town, Belsize, Frognal and South Hampstead neighbourhoods gives about 406 burglaries and 536 vehicle crimes. Belsize had the most of both, at about 121 and 172. Figures are approximate because police.uk anonymises locations.