Part M - Access and facilities for disabled people
Information can be viewed in  Building Regulations 2000 - Approved Document M - Access to and use of Buildings (1175 KB) or is available from the Communities and Local Government website (external link).
There are four main aspects to this part:
- Buildings are to be designed to aid their use by people with a disability which limits their ability to walk, see or hear;
- All new buildings (including dwellings from 25 October 1999) and some extensions (but not extensions to dwellings) to buildings must allow access for people with disabilities to use the buildings. From 25 October 1999, new houses are required to have electrical switches and sockets between 450mm and 1,200mm above floor level. Also houses and flats are required to have wider corridors, doors, and stairs (for houses this is normally only in the ground floor storey). Lifts to flats also have new requirements.
- Sanitary conveniences need to be provided of adequate size and fittings to facilitate their use by people with a wide range of disabilities. For new houses (from 25 October 1999) this includes wheelchair access to WC in entrance storey or, if no habitable room, in the principal storey.
- Audience or spectator seating in theatres, auditoria, sports grounds etc are required to have suitable facilities provided for users of wheelchairs.
 The documents on this website can be downloaded and are published using Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To view or print these documents, Adobe's Acrobat PDF reader is required which can be downloaded from Adobe Systems' website (external link).
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