National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011 - 2016

Lifetime Homes Standard Design Criteria from 5 July 2010 (Revised)No. Criteria Principle11. WC and bathroom walls Ensure future provision of grab rails is possible, toassist with independent use of WC and bathroomfacilities.12. Stairs and potentialthrough floor lift indwelling13. Potential for fitting ofhoist and bedroom/bathroomEnable access to storeys above the entrance level forthe widest range of households.Assist with independent living by enabling convenientmovement between bedroom and bathroom facilitiesfor a wide range of people.14. Bathrooms Provide an accessible bathroom that has ease ofaccess to its facilities from the outset and potential forsimple adaptation to provide for different needs in thefuture.15. Glazing and windowhandle heightsEnable people to have a reasonable line of sight froma seated position in the living room and to use at leastone window for ventilation in each room.16. Location of servicecontrolsLocate regularly used service controls, or thoseneeded in an emergency, so that they are usable by awide range of household members – including thosewith restricted movement and limited reach.8.23 It should also be noted that the statutory requirement for accessibility of buildings inEngland and Wales is broadly similar to that of Ireland. Part M of the Building Regulations(England and Wales) provides for access to and use of buildings and the related ApprovedDocument M, AD M, contains guidance on how to comply with Part M. In some cases e.g.sanitary facilities in dwellings, Technical Guidance Document M 2000 (Ireland) currentlyprovides greater space provisions for people with disabilities than Approved Document M(England and Wales).8.24 The UK Strategy committed to ensuring that all new publicly funded housing wouldbe built to the Lifetime Homes Standard by 2011. The adoption of the Lifetime HomesStandard was initially on a voluntary basis and the UK Government committed to91 91