Disabled access

[compheat]

Is it correct that all new build houses have to have Disabled access

 

[mikric]

Yes.

 

[sigman]

Yes.

 

[joinerjohn]

Hmm Would this include self build properties?. Let's say I wanted to build a house, whereby the ground floor was garage/workshop space? Your saying I could never get planning permission for this?

 

[Richard C]

Hmm Would this include self build properties?.

Self build makes no difference.

Let's say I wanted to build a house, whereby the ground floor was garage/workshop space? Your saying I could never get planning permission for this?

It applies to Building Regs not planning & you would need to check Part M specifically & speak to you LABC regarding provision of access facilities (which I'm not that familiar with); you could always install a lift.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You could build it this way if you can justify the layout at both planning and building Regulations stages. There are plenty of houses built that receive Building Regs approval with only a front door and/or garages on the ground floor for instance 3 storey town houses that necessitate that the individual plots are only as wide as a garage and a staircase. Your argument is what is the point of having a toilet on a level of the house that has no habitable accommodation only circulation space. Sometimes common sense does prevail in terms of the regs, the crucial bit is being able to justify it!

Same applies to having to provide a level access, many houses built on steep sites cannot achieve this and have steps up to the front door.

 

[Richard C]

You need to bear in mind theat even if they grant you some leeway with regard to access on/from the ground floor, I’m pretty sure that facilities such a door/corridor widths access into rooms & position of switch heights etc will still almost certainly apply to the rest of the property.

 

[^woody^]

Strictly, the requirement is to make "reasonable provision" for disabled persons, and not specifically "you must provide disabled access"

So lets say the new house was up on some side of a hill with difficult access to the actual plot for disabled people. In this case there may be some leeway in what is reasonable in terms of access to the house.

It comes down to what is reasonable and at what cost

 

[theoldun]

Sorry, but on new builds disability access must be provided to comply with regs.
The regs are very easy to comply with, they are very reasonable to comply with, but can work out expensive.
oldun

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sorry, but on new builds disability access must be provided to comply with regs.

Only the reasonable ones.

 

[^woody^]

What, the reasonable builds or the reasonable regs?

 

[sigman]

As per most of the comments above...
Generally you need to provide level access and accessible facilities to all new dwellings, however if your providing the lowest floor of occupancy at a higher level than ground floor, then it would probably still be accepted, (depending on the individual circumstance). Building regs dont just demand that all new houses are built with occupancy at ground floor level. It's just to make sure that reasonable provision is adopted to cater for disabled visitors or potentially future occupants.
Some new houses have garages built underneath at ground floor level with the main occupancy level at first floor.
Whoever you appoint for your building control will probably just ask for an access statement which is just a letter of explanation to justify why provisions wont be provided at ground floor.

'Reasonable' provisions should be provided, it's up to the BCO to decide what is reasonable and what isn't.

 

[sigman]

As per most of the comments above...
Generally you need to provide level access and accessible facilities to all new dwellings, however if your providing the lowest floor of occupancy at a higher level than ground floor, then it would probably still be accepted, (depending on the individual circumstance). Building regs dont just demand that all new houses are built with occupancy at ground floor level. It's just to make sure that reasonable provision is adopted to cater for disabled visitors or potentially future occupants.
Some new houses have garages built underneath at ground floor level with the main occupancy level at first floor.
Whoever you appoint for your building control will probably just ask for an access statement which is just a letter of explanation to justify why provisions wont be provided at ground floor.

'Reasonable' provisions should be provided, it's up to the BCO to decide what is reasonable and what isn't.

..... And it would be very excessive to request a lift for a dwelling, unless there was a wheelchair user going to be living in the house when it's completed.

 

[theoldun]

..... And it would be very excessive to request a lift for a dwelling, unless there was a wheelchair user going to be living in the house when it's completed.

We always comply with Part M requirements with regard to new dwellings, however your last statement has made us cough.
Please point our nose in the right direction to learn where or when it may be a possibility for us to provide a lift should a wheel chair user buy one of our dwelling houses.
oldun

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Allay your fears oldun, the only possible way it would become a requirement would be if the dwelling were designated specifically for wheel chair dependent persons during the planning application and a percentage of the houses in a development were required to provide full access as a condition of an application. But frankly that's an absurd scenario that would never occur in reality as whilst some dwellings (for instance as part of housing association developments) are designed specifically for wheelchair access an unsuitable site would deem the project a non starter.