Disability Access Grants
The Disability Access Grant is intended to provide financial
incentive and assistance to non-profit making, voluntary and
charitable organizations occupying buildings who wish to modify
their premises in order to make them more accessible to disabled
people. Please read the following information with regards to
disability access grants.
- The grants are discretionary up to a maximum of
£1,500.00.
- The maximum grant would be reserved for applicant organizations
undertaking two or more items of eligible works to improve access
for disabled people.
- A grant will not be made retrospectively and cannot be approved
on works already started or completed.
- All proposed works should be accessible to disabled people
*1. Accessible with respect to buildings or parts of
buildings, means that people regardless of disability, age or
gender, are able to gain access.
- All works must conform to the guidance and recommendations
given in the British Standards 8300:2001
- Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of
disabled people – Code of Practice’.
- In some cases Planning Permission, Listed Building Consent and
Building Regulation Approval. It is essential that such
consents and approvals are gained before work begins on site.
- All proposals must be checked on site by either the Access
Officer or a Council Officer
-
Employers seeking to widen job opportunities by opening up their
workplaces to people with disabilities should initially contact the
Department of Employment who have resources available for building
adaptations and purchase of adapted equipment.
-
The Disability Access Grant is not intended to assist
improvements by National or Regional concerns, to whom the sums
involved are relatively small.
- Applicant organizations must be non-political
Examples of Buildings qualifying for a Disability Access
Grant:
- Individual shops and Offices
- Sub post offices
- Places of worship, churches, village halls and community
centres
- Independent restaurants, cafes and public houses
- Independent places of entertainment and social clubs
- Independent accommodation providers i.e. Hotels, B&Bs and
Guesthouses
- Voluntary groups and agencies
- Surgeries (Doctors, Dentists & Vets)
The list is not exhaustive. Please ask if in doubt.
The Disability Access Grant is not intended to contribute
towards works which are required by law, or for which grant aid
from another source could be obtained. Consequently, where new
buildings are required by Building Regulations to make provision
for people with disabilities, no grant will be paid.
Examples of Buildings NOT qualifying for the Disability Access
Grant
- New buildings
- Private dwellings
- Premises occupied by public bodies
- Shops & offices occupied by large national companies
Examples of Eligible Work
- Provision of ramped access/egress at principle entrances
- Widening of doorways
- Provision of handrails, grab rails and support rails
- Provision of accessible (disabled) wc facilities
- Induction loop and infra red systems for hearing impaired
people
- Other relevant improvements considered necessary to assist
people with disabilities
Examples of Ineligible work
- Works to resurface paths, driveways and carp park systems
- Provision of sound reinforcement
- Access audit surveys and reports
Payment of Grant
Once approved, a formal offer of grant will be sent to you
indicating the amount payable and the eligible works. Upon
completion of the works you should submit copies of receipted
invoices to the Councils Access Officer for inspection. The
Councils Access Officer will then visit the premises to ensure that
the work has been satisfactorily completed. Payment of the
grant will not be made if the work is not completed satisfactory
and does not comply with the recommendations as stated in the
BS:8300:2001.
It is advisable to contact the Councils Access Officer at an
early stage to discuss the proposals.
Select the links below to view the Disability Access Grant
Form and Guidance Information.
Access Statements
To asses whether a proposal makes reasonable provision for
disabled users, an Access Statement should be submitted with an
application fro Grant Aid. The provision of an Access
Statement helps to identify the philosophy and approach to the
inclusive design adopted, he key issues of the particular scheme
and the sources of advice and guidance used.
The Access Statement should set out the reasons for the design
approach adopted. At its very simplest, such a statement
might record that your intentions were to comply where appropriate
with current guidance and to indicate in what respects it was
considered appropriate to provide the given solution.
Examples of evidence that might be given support such an approach
might include;
- Recommendations from the BS 8300:2001
- Provisions in the Approved Document M
- Consultation with Planning and Conservation Officers,
Ecclesiastical Architect and Surveyor or Access Officers etc.
In the case of Historic buildings and some other buildings,
such a statement will help to identify the constraints imposed by
the existing structure and the site and to propose alternative
means where full access proves to be impracticable or
unreasonable. The Access Statement should state fully why it
is not practicable to adjust the existing structure.
A person has a disability if he has a physical or mental
impairment which has a substantial and long term effect on his
ability to carry out normal day to day activities. This
covers physical or mental impairments as well as those affecting
sight or hearing. In considering your duties under the
Disability Discrimination Act, applicants should not use any
definition of ‘disabled person’ which is narrower than that in the
Discrimination Act.
Access Officer/Architectural Technologist
NPS North West Ltd
Aynam Mills
Little Aynam
Kendal
Cumbria
LA9 7AH
Tel: 01539 797438
Fax: 01539 797443