Approvals
Building Regulations drawings and plan review
Technical drawings and specifications, or a review of your architect’s drawings against the Approved Documents.
Design and approvalsView service
- Home
- Services
- Design & approvals
- Access and inclusive design review
Design & approvals
Access and inclusive design review
A qualified access consultant reviews approach, entrances, circulation and facilities against Part M and any access standard set by your planning permission. You receive a written review with marked-up drawings showing what meets the requirement and what needs to change.
When you need it
Approved Document M volume 1 sets three categories for dwellings: M4(1) visitable dwellings, M4(2) accessible and adaptable dwellings, and M4(3) wheelchair user dwellings. New homes meet M4(1) unless a planning condition requires M4(2) or M4(3), which are optional requirements.
Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings: approach, entrances, circulation, toilets and other facilities. Larger buildings open to the public may also need a Changing Places toilet.
Level thresholds, lift sizes and door widths are far easier to resolve on drawings than on site, so the review is most useful early.
What is included
Included
- Check of planning conditions for M4(2) or M4(3) requirements
- Review of the drawings against the relevant volume of Approved Document M
- Marked-up plans showing items to change
- Written report for your building control application
Priced separately
- Redesign or redrawing
- Access audits of existing buildings in use
- Design and access statements for planning
- Repeat reviews after later design changes
Your written quotation confirms the exact scope, what is included and any limits for your building.
What you receive
A written access review with marked-up drawings, setting out how the design meets the applicable Part M requirements and any M4(2) or M4(3) condition, for your building control application.
Sent as a PDF. We can send it to your building control body or agent on request.
Our reports and testing support the compliance process. Approval and completion decisions remain with your building control body: the local authority, a registered building control approver, or the Building Safety Regulator for higher-risk buildings.
How to prepare
- Plans, sections and elevations
- Planning decision notice and conditions
- Number and type of homes, or the building’s use
- Site levels and the external approach
- Lift and stair details, if known
Send what you have. Missing details will not stop an enquiry; we will tell you anything still needed.
How it works
Tell usChoose the service or describe the job.
Written quotationScope, deliverables and price, confirmed in writing.
We manage the workArranged and coordinated by RegulaBuild. Technical work is carried out by appropriately qualified professionals.
Your reportThe output named in your quotation, with any follow-up.
Questions
Does my new home need to meet M4(2)?
Only if your planning permission requires it. Otherwise new homes meet M4(1). Send us your planning conditions and we will check.
Is an access review the same as an access audit?
No. A review checks a design against Part M before it is built. An audit looks at an existing building in use.
Will building control accept the design?
The review is prepared to the guidance building control uses, but approval decisions rest with your building control body.
Often booked with
Combine them in one quote request
Approvals
Building Regulations applications
Preparing and managing your Building Regulations application through the route that suits the project: the local authority, a registered building control approver, or the Building Safety Regulator for higher-risk buildings.
Design and approvalsView service
Part B
Fire strategy and design advice
Means of escape, compartmentation and fire strategy reports for new and altered buildings.
Design and approvalsView service
Where we work
Access and inclusive design review across England
Request a quote
Discuss access and inclusive design review
Start with this service and add anything else you need. If you are unsure, say so and we will advise.