Changing Places Regulations Change

Aveso alongside the Changing Places consortium are delighted to announce the major change to building regulations in England that will require thousands of Changing Places (large (12m2), well-equipped accessible toilet facilities) to be designed and built into new public buildings, from next January 2021.

The UK government estimates this will add the toilets to minimum than 150 new buildings a year. Separate to these changes in Building Regulations, a £30 million fund to install Changing Places in existing buildings will open in the next few months.

Shopping centres, supermarkets, cinemas, stadia and arts venues are just some of the buildings that will be required to include at least one Changing Places toilet in any new builds or major refurbishments.

Details of the Changing in Building Regulations for Changing Places

Full details can be provided by Aveso, but to summarise : places of assembly, recreation and entertainment with the capacity of 350 or more people, or buildings over a certain size will be required to install a Changing Places bathroom (Changing Places toilet) if it is a newbuild or the building is undergoing a major refurbishment.

  • Such buildings will include art galleries, cinemas, concert halls, conference centres, further education colleges, universities, hotels that include leisure facilities, libraries, motorway services, museums, places of worship, and theatres.
  • Shopping centres or retail parks with gross floor areas of 30,000m2 or more, retail premises of 2,500m2 or more, sport or leisure buildings over 5,000m2, and stadia, theme parks, zoos, or exhibition centres with a capacity above 2,000 people will also be included in the rules.

We estimate at least 250,000 people (and their carers and families) with profound and multiple learning disabilities will benefit from these changes to Building Regulations, as well as people with other physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Without these facilities in public buildings for changing adults and larger children, these people, their carers and families are largely permanently house bound.

These changes are a result of the in-depth consultation paper commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (May to July 2020).

Government’s response to the consultation on changing places toilets (Part M Volume 2)

The changes to Approved Document Part M, Volume 2, non-domestic buildings will mandate the provision of changing places toilets in the following buildings:

Assembly, recreation and entertainment buildings (see note) with a capacity for 350 or more people. Or a collection of smaller buildings associated with a site used for assembly, recreation or entertainment such as zoos, theme parks and venues for sport and exhibitions with a capacity of 2000 people or more;

Shopping centres/malls or retail parks with a gross floor area of 30,000 m2 or more;

Retail premises with a gross floor area of 2500m2 or more;

Sport and leisure buildings with a gross floor area over 5000m2;

Hospitals and primary care centres;

Crematoria and cemetery buildings.Note: Places of assembly, recreation and entertainment can be defined as buildings such as: Amusement arcades; Art galleries; Cinemas; Concert halls; Conference centres; Further education colleges; Hotels that provide function, sport or leisure facilities; Libraries open to the public; Motorway service areas; Museums; Places of worship; Theatres; University buildings open to the public.

CONTACT AVESO FOR ADVICE ON THE CHANGES TO THE BUILDING REGULATIONS FOR CHANGING PLACES
Changing Places Room Equipment Installed

 

Further Reading on the amendment to Changing Places Building Regulations (2020-2021)