# NI Building Regulations, Technical Booklet M: Access and Facilities
Technical Booklet M is about access and facilities for people with disabilities, step-free routes, door widths, ramps, accessible WCs, and the like. It's the bit that turns "it looks nice" into "people can actually use it."
1. What Booklet M is trying to do
- People with limited mobility, wheelchair users, or other impairments can get into and around buildings and use key facilities.
- New buildings and certain refurbishments don't bake in barriers that are expensive or impossible to fix later.
You feel it most on: entrances, circulation (corridors, lobbies, turning space), sanitary accommodation (accessible WCs and showers), and switches and controls (heights and positions).
2. Entrances and step-free access
Booklet M expects:
- At least one accessible route into the building · often level or ramped, with manageable gradients.
- Door clear openings wide enough for wheelchairs and walking aids.
- Thresholds that are low and bevelled, not big trip lips.
On site:
- Don't add steps or high thresholds to the main entrance if the drawings show a level threshold · that kills access.
- Build ramps to the gradient and landing sizes shown · not steeper because it saves space.
- Make sure external finished levels and door cills line up as designed so you don't accidentally create a step the designer didn't intend.
3. Internal circulation, doors, corridors, stairs
Booklet M guides:
- Door widths · clear opening sizes so wheelchairs can pass through.
- Corridor widths · enough space for people to pass and turn.
- Lobbies · space to manoeuvre between doors, especially on accessible routes.
On site:
- Don't shrink door sizes because "a smaller door was cheaper in the sale."
- Don't pinch corridor widths with boxed-in pipes, radiators, or nib walls that weren't on the drawings.
- Watch where you put consumer units, fire panels and radiators · they can choke space if you're not careful.
4. Accessible WCs and bathrooms
Booklet M sets out when and where you need accessible toilets and washrooms:
- Clear space around the WC for side transfers.
- Grab rails in correct positions.
- Door swings and approach space.
- Basin positions and heights.
On site:
- Don't move walls, doors or sanitaryware in an accessible WC just to line tiles up · you'll likely break the required clearances.
- Fit the correct doc-style pack (WC, basin, rails) where the spec calls for it, and to the layout shown.
- Keep the floor level, non-slip and free from lips or steps.
5. Controls, switches and fittings
Booklet M gives guidance on:
- Heights for switches, sockets, thermostats, intercoms, etc.
- Visibility and contrast for key features (handrails, door frames).
On site:
- Keep light switches, sockets and controls within the zones on the drawings/spec, not randomly high or low.
- Don't mount key controls behind radiators or furniture that blocks someone with limited mobility.
6. How M ties into Building Control
District council Building Control will check:
- Is there a proper accessible approach and entrance?
- Are door and corridor widths as per approved plans?
- Are accessible WCs (where required) installed and laid out correctly?
- Are main controls and fittings at sensible heights?
If you've shrunk openings, added steps, or messed up accessible WCs, they can require alterations or withhold completion.
7. Working habits
Before you start
- Mark on the drawings the accessible routes, doors and WCs.
- Note any specific dimensions and heights called out for access.
While you build
- Stick to door sizes and corridor widths · no unagreed nibs, pipes or radiators choking space.
- Build thresholds and ramps exactly as drawn.
- Install accessible WC kit to the set-out · don't improvise.
At the end
Walk the building as if you're using a wheelchair or walking frame: can you get in, move around, and use a toilet without fighting the building?
Sources
- Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 · primary legislation.
- Technical Booklet M (NI) · Access to and use of buildings.
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