New guidance for London boroughs, planners, developers and designers on how to provide wheelchair accessible homes has been published by the Mayor of London, and is now open for public consultation.

The draft best practice guidance provides advice on how the London Plan policy on wheelchair accessible housing should be implemented. The policy states that at least ten per cent of new homes should be designed to be wheelchair accessible or easily adaptable for residents who are wheelchair users.

It also sets out more detailed information on how to design new homes that are flexible and adaptable for future needs. To support the Supplementary Planning Guidance to the London Plan, ‘Accessible London: Achieving an Inclusive Environment,’ and based on standards set out in the Wheelchair Housing Design Guide, the document illustrates the key structural and spatial arrangements that should be incorporated into the design of new homes so they can be easily adapted for use by wheelchair users.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: “More than 10 per cent of London’s households contain at least one person who is in an identified ’special needs’ group, and of these, a third are currently inaccessible and unsuitable for their needs. It is crucial that people with disabilities can live in dignity and in homes that are fully accessible. Nobody should feel they are prisoners within their own home.

In future there will be no excuse for any builders, whether in the public or private sectors, not to meet their obligations to provide homes that can be easily used, or adapted, for those with disabilities. This new guide is a practical handbook that sets out clearly what I will be expecting in the future. My London Plan already sets out clear policies for providing accessible homes, and this new publication explains how it can best be done”.

Bookmark with...

Hide Sites