Access to the Built Environment

Note for Heritage sites:

Heritage sites as defined by section 29 part 3 of the Disability Act 2005 [2], should as far as practicable ensure that public access is accessible to persons with disabilities. The organisation should refer to Heritage Guidelines 6-11 listed in Appendix 2.

Guideline 6 Management of the Built Environment

The organisation regularly reviews and, if necessary, develops and improves the accessibility of its built environment in public access areas.

Criteria to be met:

  • 6.1 Management has reviewed the current accessibility of the built environment [3];
  • 6.2 The organisation maintains its own Built Environment Access Handbook [4] for use by managers and maintenance personnel.

Guideline 7 External Environment

The organisation takes reasonable steps to ensure an accessible approach to its built environment including, where provided, car parking facilities.

Criteria to be met:

  • 7.1 Where parking spaces designated for people with disabilities are provided, they comply with best practice guidelines or relevant standards [5];
  • 7.2 Building surroundings and access routes to accessible entrances, including those from a car park used by the public, are designed to best practice guidelines or relevant standards [6];
  • 7.3 Where gradients on access routes in public service areas are steeper than 1:20, both steps and ramps are provided and correctly designed;
  • 7.4 All reasonable measures are taken to ensure that entrances used by the public are accessible, without adversely impacting on the character and special interest of the historic built environment.

Guideline 8 Vertical and Horizontal Circulation in Public Service Areas

Circulation is as simple as possible for all public service areas.

Vertical circulation:

  • 8.1 Steps are avoided where possible but, if in place, an alternative method of changing level in public service areas is provided that conforms with best practice guidelines or relevant standards [7];
  • 8.2 Accessible lifts are provided in all new buildings of a specified size that have more than one floor and any new installation of lifts complies with best practice guidelines or relevant standards [8];

Horizontal circulation:

  • 8.3 Horizontal circulation in public service areas complies with best practice guidelines and standards [9].

Guideline 9 Facilities

The organisation has taken all reasonable steps to provide public service areas and facilities that are accessible to the public.

Criteria to be met:

  • 9.1 Correctly designed signage, including tactile surfaces, is in place in public service areas (internally/externally as appropriate) to allow effective, efficient and safe use of the built environment;
  • 9.2 Telephones, if provided for public use, are accessible to all in public reception/service areas and a Textphone is provided;
  • 9.3 Public service reception areas and waiting rooms are correctly designed for ease of use [10];
  • 9.4 Toilet facilities, where provided for public use, are accessible to facilitate the needs of people with disabilities [11].

Guideline 10 Interior Design

The interior design of public service areas caters for the needs of as many customers as possible.

Criteria to be met:

  • 10.1 The light [12] within the public service areas of the building is distributed evenly and eliminates reflections, shadows and glare;
  • 10.2 Surface finishes are correctly designed;
  • 10.3 Colour and luminance contrast, for instance, between walls and floors, between door backgrounds and fittings and between other adjacent decorated elements are in line with best practice guidelines or relevant standards in public service areas [13];
  • 10.4 All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that fixtures in use are consistent, accessible and easy to use [14].
  • 10.5 All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the acoustic properties of public service areas have been considered.

Guideline 11 Evacuation

All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that every user of the built environment has appropriate access to a place of safety in an emergency situation.

Criterion to be met:

  • 11.1 Management has considered access and safety in emergency situations and has implemented sufficient plans to cover all users of the building including people with disabilities. This includes emergency procedures, emergency equipment, visual and auditory alarms, safety zones and signage.

Back to top