Under Section 25 of the Disability Act, public buildings shall be brought into compliance with any amendment of Part M, not later than 10 years after the commencement of the amendment. Part M Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 commenced on 1 January 2023.
The definition of a public building set out in Section 25 of the Disability Act is ‘a building, or that part of a building, to which members of the public generally have access and which is occupied, managed or controlled by a public body’.
Public bodies should be aware of their obligations under Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005, as this may result in a Changing Places Toilet being required in some existing public buildings.
For example, Table 1 of TGD M 2022 includes provision for a Changing Places Toilet to be provided in an office building where the relevant floor area is greater than 250 m2, where the office is occupied, managed or controlled by a public body, to which members of the public generally have access and where sanitary facilities are provided for use by the public.