The first building regulations to take on board the needs of people with disabilities were introduced in 1987. Since then several revisions have taken place.
From May 1 2004 the regulations were expanded to emphasise access and use of buildings for everyone. The regulations include commercial buildings and houses and cover: access to the building, access into the building and circulation and facilities within the building.
Since October 1 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires all employers and service providers to take reasonable steps to make their premises useable by people with disabilities. These provisions are over and above the requirements of the building regulations as they also consider management issues (for example, access and use of work stations and needs specific to a disability).
Slough Building Control has always recognised the importance of access and use of buildings. We have a specialist access surveyor who is available to help you.
You can contact the disability teams in the council’s social services department. They can work with you to ascertain your specific needs. You may then need to submit a building regulations application with Slough Council’s Building Control section if building works are involved.
There are no building control fees if you are registered disabled providing the work is a necessary adaptation to your existing home for which the sole purpose is to provide facilities designed to secure the health, safety, welfare or convenience of the disabled person.
You should also talk to the council’s planning section to see if there is a requirement to submit a planning application.
Social services can be reached at:
Slough Social Services,
Town Hall,
Bath Road,
Slough,
SL1 3UQ
Tel: 01753 690400
Fax: 01753 690801
Minicom: 01753 875030
Planning services can be contacted on 01753 477340.
planning@slough.gov.uk
You should first speak to your manager. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, they have a duty to ensure suitable facilities are made available. This may be a simple matter of general housekeeping, i.e. ensuring access routes are kept clear, or providing more specific arrangements. Does your manager know of your needs?
When making a building regulations application for a commercial building, we recommend that you provide an access statement to identify the philosophy and approach to inclusive design. This is particularly important when the building differs from the guidance in Approved Document M. We have prepared a form to help you to prepare a statement.
You can contact Slough Council’s Building Control Services on 01753 875810 to find out if the premises were constructed under the building regulations. Prior to 1985, there were no enforcement powers so older buildings would not need to comply.
For all enquiries please contact the Customer Service Centre
01753 475111
My Council
Landmark Place
High Street
Slough
opposite Slough Library
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