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Principles and policies

Employment, local services and community facilities

Easy access to facilities such as places of employment, shops, parks, libraries, recreation and community facilities, including hotels and the countryside, and public toilets is an integral component of a more accessible environment. The Code seeks to ensure that a wide range of local accessible employment is available by:

encouraging, where conversions are undertaken, that they are designed to be accessible for disabled people
expecting new buildings to be fully accessible for disabled people
providing Blue Badge car parking spaces
giving consideration to access routes and distances.

The Code attempts to maximise accessibility for disabled people by encouraging the provision of a network of local, accessible shopping and community facilities, to minimise travel distances and improve accessibility within the facilities by:

encouraging the retention of a widespread distribution of existing shops and local services already accessible to disabled people and by resisting changes away from retail use of such shops and local services, particularly corner shops and local services in shopping parades
expecting applicants to comply with the design guidance on shop fronts when improvements to shops are undertaken (see 6.19 Shop Fronts)
seeking to negotiate the provision of public toilet facilities suitable for use by disabled people in large stores and shopping centers (see 6.9 Toilets)
seeking to negotiate the provision of a Shopmobility provision within larger centres (see 5.14 Shopmobility Schemes).

The Code encourages all development relating to leisure, recreation and community facilities to normally incorporate suitable provision for disabled people by:

ensuring that facilities, whether created by new build or change of use, are designed to be accessible to disabled people
encouraging the provision of a network of facilities which reflects the distribution of the residential population, to minimise travel distances and maximise access opportunities for disabled people.

In addition, changes of use or redevelopments to provide accommodation for people in need of care at places such as hospitals, hostels, nursing homes and residential institutions will be expected to:

be conveniently located for local shops, services and public transport facilities
comply with local standards on room sizes, layout and car parking in relation to access for disabled people.

Access for all, Housing, External environment and transport, Access and tourism, Access to the countryside, Access to Education

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