All About Access Statement

By Author: Victor Douglas
Total Articles: 7
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An access statement sets out how a new building or environment will achieve inclusive design standards thus enabling access for disabled users.
Then when did Access Statements first start to be used?
The very first detailed guidance on the production of these statements was issued by the Disability Rights Comission (DRC - now amalgamated into the EHRC) in 2003 in its guidance document 'Access Statements - Achieving an Inclusive Environment by ensuring continuity through the Planning, Design and Control over buildings and spaces'.
With such a snappy title this was soon flying from the shelves!Joking aside this document put down the first guidance on what a statement should include and gave welcome guidance to developers following the introduction of the concept through the ODPM publication 'Planning and Access for Disabled People: a good practice guide' 2003(slightly snappier title). This document identified the promotion of inclusive design in planning policy and development control like a point of good practice and resulted in the inclusion of inclusive design and accessibility policies being introduced into ...
... local plans.
More importantly with this discussion it identified the supply of Access Statements like a reason for good practice.
Just when was an argument Required?
Planning legislation now requires that all planning applications be accompanied by a Design and Access Statement for all but the smallest and simplest of applications.
The Access Statement will normally form thing about this document.
A Building Control Officer could also require provision of the Access Statement as part of a Building Regulations application particularly where the designer is straying in the guidance put down in the Approved Document to Part M. In this instance the statement is used to justify why the guidance isn't being followed and may present an alternative standard or approach as well as mitigating factors. In my opinion the use of this requirement by officers is inconsistent and is prone to depend on the data and prominence from the Local Access Consultant.
Only at that more in depth stage the expertise of a professional Access Consultant might be necessary.
Same with the supply of an Access Statement compulsory?
The easy response is yes for any development which requires Planning Consent as the statement should form area of the Design and Access Statement that is now required included in the Planning Application package for those but the smallest applications.
If your works don't require Planning Consent then you may still be required to prepare an access statement for the purposes of your Building Regulations application. As I set out above this requirement isn't necessarily well policed although I actually do find that the metropolitan authorities tend to be far more stringent in this requirement.
If you are not planning any works there isn't any requirement to prepare an Access Statement to have an existing building and indeed there isn't any guidance in regards to what you ought to include in this context. However, particularly if you are providing a service to members if the public it might present best practice to produce an access statement aiming the degree of accessibility of your plan to disabled customers, but this is a separate subject altogether.
We would more commonly recommend the conclusion of the Access Audit of an existing building which could then be employed to inform this type of access statement. For access and disability awareness services log on to: http://www.proudlockassociates.com