Access Team

Wolverhampton City Council is committed to creating an accessible environment for everyone.

The Access Team are responsible for increasing the awareness to the needs of disabled people with regard to access to buildings and the spaces between them.

Key features of the service include:
 
1. Advice on:

• Development proposals (eg planning, building regulation and licensing applications)
• Access to the City Council's buildings, and 
• General access issues throughout the City to built environment professionals, the City Council’s service groups and the general public.

2. Preparation of policies and design guidance on access, eg “Access and facilities for Disabled People: Creating an Inclusive Built Environment”.

3. Dropped Kerb Scheme.  The Access Team are responsible for an annual programme of work to provide flush dropped kerbs and tactile paving at junctions that members of the public or other officers have reported.

4. Provision of the Shopmobility service – which provides manual and powered wheelchairs and scooters to help people with limited mobility shop and use city centre facilities.

5. Consulting with disabled people.  We are in regular contact with disability groups, we set up and facilitate meetings to discuss issues arising and new developments and policies.

6. Promote and educate on the provision of an inclusive built environment.

7. Advise on the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and other legislation, standards & best practice relating to access and social inclusion.

They negotiate, advise and persuade people involved in the creation of the built environment to plan, develop and build an environment that is wholly inclusive.

The team also consult with disabled groups on a regular basis for information and advice.  They also give advice to built environment professionals, the council’s service groups and to the general public with regard to any access issues.

You can find links here to more information about the Disability Discrimination Act and the October 2004 deadline for shops and businesses to improve access to their services. The Access Officer can help you with design advice on making the “physical adjustments” the Act refers to.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission website has information about Open4All, and is the best starting point for advice and information about the wide-ranging aspects of the Act and how it operates.

Further information

For further information, please contact the Access Team on:

E-mail: planning.policy@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Phone: 01902 555611/555411
Minicom: 01902 555554
Fax: 01902 555637

The Access Office is located on the second floor of the Civic Centre (Desk 24). The correspondence address is

Access Team
Regeneration & Environment
Wolverhampton City Council
Civic Centre
St Peters Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1RP