Access Statement
How we go about planning and designing our buildings, roads and
spaces has a dramatic impact on how they can be used by everyone,
regardless of age, gender or disability.
To ensure that access is considered at the earliest possible stage
in the development process, and to ensure that the facilities are
integrated in an inclusive manner, designers and developers are
recommended to produce an ‘Access Statement’ as part of their
Planning and / or Building Regulation applications.
The Access Statement should clearly identify:
- The philosophy and approach to
inclusive design being adopted
- The key issues of the particular
scheme including any environmental restraints
- The source of advice and guidance
used
- How the principles of inclusive design
have been implemented into the scheme
- How inclusion will be maintained and
managed once the building is in use
The exact form of the Access Statement will depend upon the size,
complexity and nature of the proposed development, and may,
therefore, vary considerably.
The recommendation to provide an Access Statement is introduced in
Approved Document M (2004 Edition). However, recent guidance on
access in the planning system (‘Planning and Access for Disabled
People – A Good Practice Guide’)* recommends provision of an Access
Statement at the Planning stage. The Access Statement is an attempt
to encourage designers and developers to consider access issues at
the earliest possible stage of the development process. It is also
a useful tool to encourage innovation and flexibility in design
approach.
The compilation of an Access Statement should begin at the
pre-planning stage. It is intended to be a ‘living document’ that
grows in detail as the project develops. In this way it will help
to provide an audit trail to demonstrate whether particular matters
have been considered adequately and with the benefit of the client
and any future occupiers where such matters are material to the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
By considering access issues for all members of society at the
earliest opportunity steps can be taken to ensure facilities are
suitable for use, and accessible by everyone. The process will also
help inclusive design proposals to be fully integrated into the
design from the beginning rather than considered towards the end of
the process when only ineffective, compromise solutions can be
achieved.
*Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Further guidance on Access Statements can be found on the Disability Rights Commission
website
Access Statement form 
