Guidance

The Building Regulations 2010: Equality Act clarification

Divisional letter dated 9 December 2011 about the relationship between the Equality Act 2010 and Part M of the Building Regulations 2010.

• From: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2018 to 2021)
• Published: 9 December 2011

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Building Regulations 2010

PDF, 90.3 KB, 3 pages

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Details

The purpose of this divisional circular letter is to bring to attention to all building control bodies (BCBs) and other interested parties the relationship between the Equality Act 2010 and Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations 2010.

Compliance with the requirements of Part M does not signify compliance with the much broader obligations and duties set out in the Equality Act. This is a source of frequent misunderstanding.

Part M sets out minimum requirements to ensure that a broad range of people are able to access and use facilities within buildings.

The Equality Act requires reasonable adjustments to be made in relation to accessibility. In practice, this means that due regard must be given to any specific needs of likely building users that might be reasonably met.

Published 9 December 2011