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Building Regulations and Disability
The Department of Environment and Local Government has published amendments to the Building Regulations 1997 and a revised edition of the associated Technical Guidance Document to Part M of the regulations which is Access for People with Disabilities.
The new requirements of Part M as far as a dwelling house are to make sure that the dwelling are accessible for people with disabilities.
Part M of the regulations apply to all works commencing after 1st of January 2001 and implies that all dwellings should be designed and built so that:
People with disabilities can safely and without any problems approach and gain access via level or a sloped ramp. People with disabilities can have access to the building. There should be a WC provided at entry level. There should be enough space for circulation within the property
Approaching a dwelling:
At least one entrance on the boundary of the dwelling plot should have a minimum clear opening of 80 cm. At least one of the entrances to the property should be accessible to people with wheel chairs. This should preferably be the main entrance. There should be a clear area of at least 1.2 meters x 1.2 meters deep in front of this entrance. The approach to this entrance should be suitable for use by a wheelchair user from the boundary of the plot. However, if this is not possible the approach can be set from within a plot where the wheelchair user should be able to conveniently alight from a vehicle. The approach to the accessible entrance should have a firm surface which would be suitable for a wheelchair and a clear and unobstructed width of at least 90 cm or 3 meters where the approach in whole or part forms part of the onsite driveway. The approach should be as level as possible for the use of the wheelchair.
Access to the building:
The minimum clear opening width of a wheelchair accessible entrance should be 77.5 cm. The entrance should be level with a maximum threshold level of 1.5 cm Any door bells or suchlike devise should be located at a height of between 90 cm and 120 cm above floor level.
A WC at entry level
There should be a WC at entry level which can be accessed from the entrance and least one habitable room without the need to negotiate any steps. A clear space of at least 75 cm x 120 cm accessible by a wheelchair user, should be available adjacent to the WC. The overall design of the WC or bathroom should be in a way that a wheelchair can be fully contained within the compartment and for the door to be closed with the wheelchair inside.
Circulation within the property
There should not be any stepped level through doors or corridors to any habitable rooms. If there is a stepped level, there should be at least one room and toilet with free and unobstructed access. Corridors should have a minimum unobstructed width of at least 90 cm, if there are any obstructions, like a radiator, then there should be a minimum width of 75 cm from the obstruction. Door handle’s and light switches should be located at between 90 cm to 120 cm above the floor. Doors and corridors should have a minimum width to allow free unobstructed access and this can be found in the table below:
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Min clear opening of the doors
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Min unobstructed corridor width
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75 cm
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120 cm or 90 cm if approached head on
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77.5 cm
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105 cm or 90 cm if approached head on
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80 cm
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90 cm
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