The Building (Disabled People) Regulations 1987

Made: 5th August 1987

Laid before Parliament: 20th August 1987

Coming into force: 14th December 1987

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 1(1), 3(1) and 8(2) of, and paragraphs 1, 2, 7, 8, 10 and 11 of Schedule 1 to, the Building Act 1984[^f00001], and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consulting the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and such other bodies as appear to him to be representative of the interests concerned in accordance with section 14(3) of that Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Building (Disabled People) Regulations 1987 and shall come into force on 14th December 1987.

Amendment of the Building Regulations 1985

2

The Building Regulations 1985[^f00002] are amended as follows—

• (1) in regulation 2(3), after “paragraph A3”, insert “and Part M”,

• (2) in regulation 2(4)(a) and (6)(a), omit “or 2”,

• (3) in regulation 3(2)(a), after “(external fire spread)”, insert “or Part M (Disabled People)”,

• (4) in regulation 4(1)(a), for “Schedules 1 and 2” substitute “Schedule 1”,

• (5) after Part L of Schedule 1 insert the Schedule to these Regulations as Part M,

• (6) omit Schedule 2.

Transitional Provisions

3

These Regulations shall not affect the application of the Building Regulations 1985 as respects—

• (1) building notices given or full plans deposited (under regulation 11 of the Building Regulations 1985) before 14th December 1987, or

• (2) initial notices or public body’s notices given (under section 47(1) or 54(1) of the Building Act 1984) before 14th December 1987, or

• (3) work carried out in accordance with such notices or plans with or without any departure or deviation therefrom, or

• (4) work completed before 14th December 1987.

SCHEDULE

InterpretationM1.

In this Part—

“disabled people” means people with a physical impairment which limits their ability to walk and people who need to use a wheelchair for mobility; and

“relevant premises” means—

Means of access

M2

Reasonable provision shall be made to enable disabled people to gain access to the relevant premises, and to those parts of the relevant premises to which it is reasonable to provide access.

Sanitary conveniences

M3

Where sanitary conveniences are provided in connection with relevant premises, reasonable provision shall be made for disabled people.

Audience or spectator seating

M4

Where relevant premises contain audience or spectator seating, reasonable provision shall be made to accommodate disabled people.

2

When an existing building is extended or altered, then in applying paragraphs (4), (5) and (6) of regulation 2 to determine whether the work shall be regarded as adversely affecting the existing building, there shall be disregarded any intended use as relevant premises of:

• (a) the extension or any part of it,

• (b) any part of the existing building which was not used as relevant premises before the alteration,

• (c) any part of any existing relevant premises to which access was not, or would not have been, required by requirement M2 before the alteration.

Signed

Nicholas Ridley — One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State — 5th August 1987

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Building Regulations 1985 with respect to the access and facilities to be provided for disabled people. There are three changes of substance—

• (1) Schedule 2 to the 1985 Regulations is replaced by a new Part M in Schedule 1 to those Regulations. Part M extends the provisions formerly in Schedule 2 to those Regulations to apply to three new categories of premises; namely, multi-storey factories, schools and educational establishments, and multi-storey premises to which the public are admitted, but only in respect of the storey of those premises which contains the principal entrance.

An Approved Document will be issued under sections 6 and 7 of the Building Act 1984 (obtainable from HMSO) giving practical guidance as to the ways in which the requirements of the new Part M may be met.

• (2) Regulation 2(3) of these Regulations extends the meaning of a material alteration for the purposes of the 1985 Regulations so that when a building is altered or extended, access and facilities for disabled people are not adversely affected (within the meaning of regulations 2(4), (5) and (6) of the 1985 Regulations).

• (3) The new Part M of Schedule 1 to these Regulations clarifies the position in relation to buildings which have mixed uses by providing that the requirements of access and facilities for the disabled are to apply to any “relevant premises” within that building.

Transitional provisions are contained in regulation 3.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1984 c. 55.

[^f00002]: S.I. 1985/1065, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.