A Closomat Changing Places toilet facility has recently been used to provide accessibility at a new multi-arts centre in Chester, mainly funded by Cheshire West & Chester Council.
The £37million facility, Storyhouse, will offer a library, two theatres, a cinema, restaurant and bars, in what was the city’s Grade II listed Odeon. The building was built with the aim of being accessible for all, with ramp access, lifts for every storey, wheelchair spaces in the theatre, studio and cinema, a low level counter in the cafe, standard accessible toilets on every floor and a Closomat Changing Places facility on the ground floor.
The Changing Places facility offers more space than a conventional wheelchair accessible toilet, a ceiling track hoist, adult sized height-adjustable changing bench, privacy screen and height-adjustable wash basin.
Alex Clifton, artistic director, Storyhouse, said: “The disabled visitors we have had have been heartened to find the Changing Places toilet: in fact, Storyhouse is being used as an exemplar scheme for an accessible toilet design toolkit.”
Under British Standards, a Changing Places is provided in addition to conventional (Building Regulations Document M) wheelchair accessible toilets, and provides 12m2 (3m x 4m), with additional equipment including an adult-sized height adjustable changing bench and ceiling track hoist.
