Borough Life Summer 2006: Better access is no obstacle
Janet welcomes initiative
As the chair of the borough’s access committee, Janet Kenyon knows better than most the problems that poor access can cause.
A wheelchair user for the past 25 years after developing multiple sclerosis, Janet has no problem moving round much of Wigan town centre.
But she finds getting into some of the town’s smaller shops a real obstacle.
“Shopkeepers will offer to help me but that’s not the point,” she argues.
“Disabled people don’t want special treatment. They simply want to go where others go without having to worry if they can enter a shop or any other public facility.
“Hopefully this document will encourage developers to think about access from the start.”
Janet said the situation for disabled people was better now than it used to be – especially in developments by the public sector. “But there’s still a lot of work to be done before we can feel equal,” she added.
In our crowded world, an environment that doesn’t put obstacles in anyone’s way might seem like an impossible dream.
But campaigners for a more accessible borough say it’s a cause worth fighting for.
That’s why a new council blueprint for accessible buildings and streets has been welcomed by those who want to open our eyes to the barriers still facing thousands of less mobile residents.
The document – believed to be one of the first of its kind under the government’s new planning system – means that all developers will have to build proper access into their plans.
And crucially, planning permission can be refused if they don’t.
Called Access For All, it provides guidance on things like entrances and approaches to buildings, car parks, shops, sports facilities and even bank hole in the wall machines.
Joe Healen is secretary of the borough’s access committee – a group of ordinary men and women who provide a voice for the views of disabled people in the corridors of power.
He said: “What’s welcome about this document is that it encourages developers to consider access at the design stage. Often we felt we were being consulted after a scheme had been designed, by which time it may be too late to change it.”
So who gains from good access? According to Access for All author, Kathryn Barker from the council’s planning department, everyone benefits, but especially people with disabilities, older people and families with young children.
Kathryn stressed: “The document is not just about buildings. It also looks at open spaces, countryside and parks because it’s important that everyone has the opportunity to gain access to these with family and friends without facing physical barriers en route.”
Joe added: “It’s a very readable document and will open people’s eyes to a vital subject that many of us take for granted.”
Members of the public are now being invited to have their say about the new access guide, and Kathryn is anxious to get feedback before it’s adopted in October.
Access for All is available at all local libraries, Wigan and Leigh town halls, at the planning offices in New Market Street, or online at www.wigan.gov.uk. Comments should be received by 27th June.