Glossary
Part M: access and use of London homes and extensions
Access to and use of buildings. Accessibility provisions.
Access to and use of buildings. Accessibility provisions.
Approved Document M sets accessibility standards. For dwellings, Part M4(1) is the baseline category — visitable dwellings — with M4(2) accessible and adaptable and M4(3) wheelchair user dwellings applied only where a planning condition requires them. Extensions to existing houses are largely exempt.
Not in the way people expect. The requirements for dwellings apply to new dwellings, including those created by material change of use. An extension to an existing house is specifically exempted from the dwelling access requirements, provided it does not make the existing building less compliant than before.
Where a loft or garage conversion creates a new self-contained flat, the requirements do apply to that new dwelling.
A level or ramped approach where site conditions allow, an accessible threshold, a 775 mm minimum clear opening width to the entrance door, circulation space in the entrance storey, and a WC at entrance level with the door opening outward or with sufficient clear space.
They are optional requirements that only apply where a planning condition imposes them, which is common for new dwellings in London under London Plan policy. M4(2) requires step-free access and adaptable layouts; M4(3) requires a wheelchair accessible or adaptable dwelling with much larger circulation and turning space.
A worked Hackney example of approved document m (access to and use of buildings): with 29 conservation areas — the De Beauvoir Town Conservation Area and the Stoke Newington Conservation Area among the best known — London Borough of Hackney (Hackney Council) sees approved document m (access to and use of buildings) constantly, and an Article 4 direction is in force there, so permitted development cannot be assumed. Where approved document m (access to and use of buildings) pushes a Hackney scheme out of permitted development, the route becomes a £548 application decided in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks.
| Baseline category | M4(1) visitable dwellings |
|---|---|
| Optional categories | M4(2) accessible and adaptable, M4(3) wheelchair |
| Entrance door clear width | 775 mm minimum |
| Extensions to houses | Exempt from dwelling access requirements |
| New dwellings by conversion | Requirements apply |
| M4(2)/M4(3) trigger | Planning condition |
Not under Part M, though it is good practice and often required by the planning condition on a new dwelling.
In a new dwelling, yes at entrance level. Not in an extension to an existing house.
The planning authority, through a condition on the permission.
Pick a slot that suits you. No obligation and no sales pressure, just straight answers on your planning route.
