Raising accessibility standards for new homes

10 December 2020

We submitted our response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s accessibility standards for new homes consultation.

In our submission, we welcomed the government proposals:

To raise accessibility standards for new homes and make accessible, adaptable design standard (M4(2)) the default expectation for new homes.

We believe this will:

Help to free up local authority capacity by removing the need for a local case.
Help planning, building control and access teams to gather evidence and set robust policies for their areas.

The government should also:

Be clear that local authorities should set robust local policy for the level of wheelchair accessible homes required in their area.
Set clear and strict criteria for exemptions where lower standards may be accepted.
Establish a template for a national, but locally maintained, register of accessible homes and those seeking them.

For more information, read our full response.