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External environments

5.26 Countryside Furniture

Contents

Resting places and seats

Frequent resting places should be provided for older disabled people, particularly in areas close to car parks and on specific paths and trails that are accessible to disabled people.

The seats should, ideally, be made of a material that does not retain heat or cold, such as timber. The seat should be between 450mm and 500mm from the ground and arm rests should be provided as they give assistance to people who have difficulty rising from a seated position. A space of 600mm should be left between the path and the bench to ensure that no obstructions occur.

The rest area should also include a space adjacent to the bench for wheelchair users. This should be a minimum of 900mm wide.

In addition to benches, perches can be used more frequently. Perches are rails at a height of between 500mm and 750mm that can be half leant on and half sat on. They consist of two substantial uprights with a crossbar. These are often preferred by older people who may have problems rising from a seated position.

Elevation

diagram showing the from and side elevations of a timber slatted garden bench. Allow 600mm per person in the width of the bench when viewed from the front. The seat shown allows for three people being 1800mm wide and has four metal arm rests, two on the outside and two set in the seat. The side elevation shows the seat height at 480mm from ground level and protruding forwards at least 100mm from the metal leg supports. The front of seat to backrest measures 480mm.

Plan

Diagram showing the bench seating in a rest area that is set back off the line of the path in an area of hard surfacing. The bench is placed at one side of the rest area leaving a space at the side of bench so that a wheelchair user can sit next to a person using the bench. The front to back dimensions of the rest area are 600mm from path line to the front edge of the bench; 480mm front to back of the bench; and 150mm behind the bench. The width of the rest area comprises 900mm space for wheelchair user; length of bench based on 600mm per person; and 150mm at the far side of the bench.

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