Disbaled access - area of hard standing for wheelchairs etc?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have to make my house (new build started 2000) compliant for disabled access.

Largely it complies: I just have to make one of its entrances 'compliant'...

I have a large gravel drive that can access two doors..

..but one of them needs some kind of hard standing/ramp to presumably allow someone in a wheelchair to park by it and get in with a wheelchair.

The problem is that its not uncommon for 15 tons of tractor or 30 tons of gravel lorry to use those drives: anything that is of a hard nature will have to be built to take them.

HOWEVER my perusal of the regulations *seems* to say that all that is required is a strip of hard standing ALONGSIDE which a car can pull up and disgorge the aforesaid cripple and wheelchair onto some kind of unstepped access into the dwelling...

I almost have this already in the shape of a stone flagged entrance to the front door which would require simply a flag tipped up at an angle, and maybe a couple more stone flags to mean that the car could (instead of now being 1'6" from the edge) park right alongside..

Has anybody had direct experience of this? The regulations are distinctly vague in this area. I had thought that I had to provide e.g. concrete or tarmac for the car itself, but this does not seem to be the case?

[Hugo Nebula]

On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:26:59 +0100, a particular chimpanzee named The Natural Philosopher randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

The requirement is there to allow for any disabled person to visit your house. They may be getting out of a car (or a taxi) on the driver's or the passenger's side, so they may need to cross from the far side of a car to the entrance.

The guidance in Approved Document M says, "Requirement M1 will be satisfied, if, within the plot of the dwelling, a suitable approach is provided from the point of access to the entrance....The whole, or part, of the approach may be a driveway". This means that a firm and level access could be provided from the back of the pavement.

[The Natural Philosopher]

So..and thanks Hugo ..provided that its possible to go in reverse or forward, all it takes is an apron of hard material from the car to the door that is big enough for a wheelchair, and more or less level with no steps in it?

[Colin Wilson]

IANAL / builder etc (although I *am* regd disabled - walking wounded)

If it only needs to be in place long enough for the building inspector to pass it, throw a couple of slabs down, get the project signed off, then put the chippings back :-}

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well actually we DO have a registered disabled mother in law who DOES manage to just use the front entrance..she can manage the 4" step..

..I don;t have a problem with the right permanent solution that passes the specs..just looking for the best one.

[Owain]

Not permanent, but how about a few sections of that "portable road" the army use for crossing boggy terrain?

Owain

[Dave]

It would conform to the 'reasonable' part of the act.

Dave