Norwich City Council secures £65k Changing Places funding to provide accessible toilet facilities
The Forum in Norwich city centre will be installing a new Changing Places facility following a successful bid for government funding by Norwich City Council.
The council hopes the new facilities, that will be installed by local contractor Ovamill, will mean that those who need to use accessible toilet facilities are able to benefit from more of what The Forum and the city have to offer.
The city council was successful in its bid for a portion of the £30 million government Changing Places funding – receiving £65,000 for the new facility.
A complete upgrade of The Forum customer toilets and the installation of the new Changing Places Toilet will start on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
Teresa Wood, Head of Estates at The Forum, said: “We’re very happy to have received funding for Changing Places facilities, so we can offer vital provision to those living with disabilities.
“Our state-of-the-art Changing Places toilet will be installed in the new year, alongside an upgrade to our existing facilities.
“The Forum is here for everybody and by installing new accessible spaces we’re able to welcome more people into our building.”
GOV.UK states that more than 250,000 severely disabled people will have greater access to public places after the government moved to make Changing Places toilets compulsory in new buildings.
Unlike standard accessible toilets, Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) have an adult changing bench and hoist facilities as well as extra space for carers.
Alan Waters, Leader of Norwich City Council, said: “No resident or visitor to Norwich should ever have to worry about not having access to suitable toilet facilities.
“We’re incredibly pleased to be one of the local authorities across the country to receive this money, which will deliver vital accessible facilities in our city.”
Recently, the UK Government has announced that local authorities in England can apply for the second round of Changing Places funding with a total of £6.5 million available.
