ABSTRACT
This chapter considers an access audit to be a measure of how well the environment and method of service delivery meet the needs of existing and potential users, whether they be staff, visitors, volunteers, pupils, patients, students or others. The basic principle of an access audit is to comprehensively assess the accessibility of an environment, its facilities and any services delivered from it. The Equality Act 2010 replaced previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single Act and applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The preparation and submission of an access statement has been required for some years now to accompany applications for planning and listed building consent. At both the planning and building regulations stages, the access statement or access strategy should record the outcomes of consultation exercises with disabled people, people with other protected characteristics, local interest groups and specialist advisors.
