Access for the Disabled
We take our statutory and other obligations seriously to promote the interests of access for disabled people. Provisions of good access can be a vital issue in deciding whether or not to grant permission.
The Building Regulations contain specific requirements regarding access for disabled people to buildings. This includes:
• Provision of toilets
• Special audience seating where provided for the able-bodied
The provision of facilities to enable disabled people to use buildings is also necessary. This includes:
• Provision of ramps
• Suitable width corridors
• Disabled toilet facilities
• In some buildings the provision of a lift
Access for people with a disability is not just about wheelchairs, it covers a wide range of disabilities such as:
• Sight
• Hearing
• Walking impairments
Requirements of the regulations also extend to new dwellings and requires ramped access and level thresholds to the principal entrance door, together with an accessible toilet at ground floor level. Our Building Control Surveyors will be happy to discuss these issues, You can contact us by going to our contact page.
Access to and use of buildings: Approved Document M
New Building Regulations recently brought in impose a range of requirements.
These make sure that when buildings are erected, extended, altered or their use changed, they are accessible and/or improved to allow people with a disability to have an opportunity to make full use of the built environment.
The submission of a Building Regulations application is exempt from a fee if the works are works solely to provide access and/or facilities for disabled people to existing dwellings.
