Loft conversions: Do I have to have stair doors if it's a 'storage room' not bedroom?

[ampere]

We have a 11 yr old detached estate house. It has a largish loft which we are thinking about using.

We probably can't make a real bedroom out of it cos I suspect the internal woodwork/cross bracing of the roof would have to be demolished and redone (££), and we don't need another bedroom in this 4br house, BUT a floored, plastered walled and velux windowed 'space' would be very handy!

Do I need to have a fire door at the head of or base of the stairs if the room will never be designated as a bedroom? I'd expect to use it as a store and a 'hobby' room, actually!

bump anyone?

I expect you would. We had our loft converted some time ago & had to have fire doors on the bedrooms beneath the conversion & plasterboard on those celings (we live in a 1890's house)& that is for a room that is not supposed to be a bedroom according to building regs IIRC.

I think those regs have changed as it was recognised that a fire door only works if it's closed! Now I think you have to have a smoke detection system rigged up to the mains.

But thanks!