Access Consultancy

Few old buildings are easily accessible to disabled people and achieving this for historic buildings can be a thorny issue. Castles, for example, were usually designed with moats and drawbridges to discourage access! There no such thing as a Disability Discrimination Act 'approved' or DDA 'compliant' building; even relatively new buildings that have been equipped with level entrances, ramps and toilets may require further 'reasonable adjustments' to physical features. Accessibility for as many people as possible is not only a legal obligation for 'service providers' including owners, tenants, employers with buildings open to the public, and churches; it is morally right and socially desirable; it also makes economic sense: it has been estimated that access improvements can increase visitor numbers and hence income to heritage properties by as much as forty per cent.

Specialist advice and a flexible and pragmatic approach, are the keys to inclusive accessibility for most existing buildings and Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation is well equipped to provide this. As well as carrying out access audits and advising on access planning, the consultancy also designs access improvements to historic buildings; alterations and extensions to residential homes, and new buildings adapted to the needs of disabled people.

Our long standing interest in disability and access standards has included research into therapeutic environments and acting as professional access consultants to private and public and voluntary bodies. Click on the links below to read more about some of the buildings where we have advised on access; use your browser Back button to return to the menu:

Royal College of Surgeons	Alnwick Castle	City of London	St Peter's Sandwick	Stirling University
The Glasite Meeting House	The Raw Bastle	Thirlwall Castle	Alnwick Garden	Residential Home

If you would like to discuss how we could help make your building or site more accessible, please contact us.

Back | Dwellings | Work/leisure | Churches | Ruins | Monuments | Interior Design | Conservation areas | Condition reports | Research and Education | Access Consultancy | Contact |