3.1 Equality, Accessibility, and Inclusive Design
Related SPD sections • All sections of this SPD
Key City Plan policies 15 (i). Visitor Economy
24. Sustainable Transport
25. Walking and Cycling
26. Public Transport and Infrastructure
38. Design principles
43. Public realm
44. Security Measures in the Public Realm
Context
Westminster ’s just under a quarter of a million resident population comprises highly diverse local communities. We have some of the most affluent residential areas in the country, but a diverse demographic also means some of the most deprived 37 , 38 Its population swells with the influx of workers, students, shoppers and tourists throughout the day and night.
The Public Sector Equality Duty requires the City Council in the exercise of its functions to have due regard to the need to:
• Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
• Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
• Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. This involves:
• Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
• Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
• Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
Under the provisions of the Equalities Act 2010 the City Council has a duty to ensure that when providing its services, it does not discriminate, directly or indirectly, against people or groups within the following protected characteristics:
• age;
• disability;
• gender reassignment;
• marriage and civil partnership;
• pregnancy and maternity;
• race;
• religion or belief;
• sex;
• sexual orientation.
The council’s City Plan seeks to create an inclusive public realm that is safe and accessible to all, and to achieve this development should improve the permeability and legibility of the public realm to users living with disabilities and to people with protected characteristics
37 https://www.westminster.gov.uk/facts-and-figures-about-westminster
38 Ward profiles | Westminster City Council
‘Accessibility ’ is defined in the City Plan as: ‘ The ability of all people, including elderly and disabled people, those with young children and those carrying luggage and shopping, to reach, move around and use places and facilities’.
‘An inclusive environment is one which can be used safely, easily and with dignity by all. It is convenient and welcoming with no disabling barriers, and provides independent access without additional undue effort, separation, or special treatment for any group of people.’ 39
In considering impacts of proposals, Westminster’s ‘Equalities Impact Assessment’ framework also includes care leavers and people on low incomes as an additional relevant category.
11% of Londoners say that they are disabled (https://content.tfl.gov.uk/disabled-people.pdf ), however disability is not homogenous, and interventions which may be beneficial to one public realm user may have a detrimental impact on another.
Accessibility of information is important to improving journey experiences and increasing the confidence to travel, and some may be put off journeys that are too difficult to complete, either perceived through a lack of information about routes, or physically through actual barriers (such as steps, lack of seating or uneven surfaces).
In 2021, the City Council signed up to Transport for All’s ‘Equal Pavement Pledge’.
The pledge is focused around ensuring that the city is accessible for all, and that barriers such as the lack of dropped kerbs, inconsistent tactile paving, uneven or steep pavements, potholes and tree roots, street clutter and bollards, which make the streets difficult to traverse if you are disabled, are addressed.
Guidance for specific features in the public realm are provided in the relevant sections of this guidance SPD. General guidance to improve accessibility and inclusivity is provided below, and is applicable across the city:
Equality considerations when designing for the public realm
• Public realm design and quality can have an important impact on people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing, offering opportunities for social interaction to help fight loneliness and isolation, and providing access to green space and active travel, to encourage a healthier life.
• Public realm design also includes measures to enhance climate-resilience such as, providing shaded areas and floodresistant infrastructure. These features can reduce barriers to access by making public spaces safer and more comfortable for all groups, regardless of age or ability.
• Public realm design can support more sustainable movement across the city, with well-designed spaces that are intuitive and easy to navigate, promoting inclusion and encouraging active travel.
• Whilst Westminster has the highest level of public transport accessibility overall, we must ensure that public realm is designed in a way that ensures public transport as well as our public spaces, are truly accessible to all.
Sites are different, they are used differently by different groups of people, at different times of the day, and in varying weather, environmental conditions, and at different times of the year.
It is not a person’s ability that determines whether they can access the public realm, more so the design and layout of that space. Poorly designed public realm can restrict the ability of those with physical and non-visible disabilities to enjoy public spaces. This can make them feel excluded from spaces that are not welcoming and feel unsafe in spaces that do not provide for their needs.
Standard design methods often inadvertently overlook the needs of different individuals and groups, and whilst a public realm scheme may have been successfully delivered in one location, an identical scheme may not be appropriate for delivery elsewhere.
Designing successful and inclusive public realm requires a clear understanding of the expected users of a space, and their sitespecific needs.
In October 2023, the City Council commissioned an ‘Inclusive Design’ study, to provide independent guidance and an evidence base against which decision can be taken on public realm scheme design, and any changes to our public spaces. This considered user experience of the public realm for each of the protected groups and will be used to inform consideration of all public realm proposals across the city, and as evidence to ‘Equality Impact Assessments’
39 Design Council
The equality and inclusion guidance in this document has been produced by reviewing best practice, previous public realm scheme appraisals, and third sector equalities reports, in relation to common accessibility issues in the public realm.
The appended Inclusive Design Guidance should be used as a baseline for appraisals for schemes, and when exploring design solutions to improve accessibility and inclusivity The guidance has informed development of this SPD. However, it is not intended to be exhaustive and does not replace the need to carry out an Equalities Impact Assessment 40 The required complexity of the EQIA will depend on the complexity of the public realm scheme.
Key Principles
• Consideration must be given to the needs of all public realm users, including those with physical, sensory, and learning impairments.
• The public realm must be easy for users to understand and navigate, with legible, permeable, and inclusive design consistently applied across the city.
• Clear and legible routes must be provided and maintained, with street furniture placed to avoid obstruction, minimising barriers to accessibility and inclusion.
Inclusion
• Changes to the public realm should seek to remove any barriers (both actual and perceived) and ensure inclusion.
• Developers must communicate with the community and seek co-produced solutions.
• The conversion of a footway to a shared space should not be favoured. This type of design challenges the safety, comfort and accessibility of both pedestrians and cyclists, particularly when flows are high.
• All proposed schemes must demonstrate how accessibility and inclusivity have been considered through completion of Equalities Impact Assessments (EqIAs)
Westminster’s ‘Inclusive Design Guidance’, attached as Appendix 1 to this document, provides guidance and links to British Standards and other related guidance and evidence documents, against common WCC public realm scheme types, and the needs of the identified protected characteristics. This should be read in the development of schemes and their respective EqIAs.
The below table provides an indication of some of the issues which must be considered in the design, development and delivery of all public realm scheme, alongside suggested solutions. Each of which is integrated and explained further in the relevant topic-based guidance sections below.
Users Example Requirements
Wheelchair/ three-wheel bicycle user
Blind or partially sighted
Adequate widths on pedestrian and cycle spaces; stepfree access; Smooth surface for wheels; parking; adequately placed street furniture
Simple colour contrast; consistent texture cues; clear segregation/delinea tion between
Potential Barriers
Tactile paving; uneven surfaces; long-step free bypasses; narrow widths pavement; narrow cycle widths; narrow cycle storage; inadequate white badge parking; traffic calming measures; increased journey times; clutter; street furniture / obstructions.
Clutter; street furniture causing obstruction; inconsistent pavement treatments; unclear separation between footway and
Example Design Solutions
• Clear and consistent use of tactile paving.
• Access ramps, and steps only used where necessary.
• Adequate widths to be maintained in pedestrian and cycle spaces.
• Accessible/wide cycle storage provided wherever possible.
• Adjusted-height street furniture such as lower-level signage, and cycle stands
• Rationalise use of tactile paving at crossings / conflict points.
• Provide and maintain clear unobstructed routes.
40 Further Guidance on EQIAs for Public Realm Schemes is being developed by the City Council. Any further update will be included in the final SPD for adoption.
highway users; priority at crossings
Neurodiverse Clear consistent road markings; highway user segregation; simple colour schemes; obstacle free; adequate crossing times; rest/quiet points.
Chronic illness/pain; Pregnancy; Maternity
Availability of spaces of respite; public seating provision; access to public toilets; access to drinking fountains.
Age Obstacle free; smooth not slippery surfaces; appropriate crossing times; seating opportunities. School crossings Well shaded streets and accessible cool zones
carriageway; inconsistent use of tactile paving.
Tactile paving and textures surfaces; commercial activity; background noise levels; inconsistent pavement layout and design
• Consistent and perceptible street furniture design with clear colour contrast, recognisable texture, and design features to support cane users.
• Rationalise tactile paving and limit expansive use in one location unless necessary.
• Use simple and consistent surfacing materials and colour schemes.
• Avoid confusing material patterns.
• Provide clear unobstructed routes.
• Avoid shared use spaces without clear delineation between those uses
Lack of resting points; uneven surfaces; pollution; crossing times; lack of drinking water and public toilets provision including changing places; delayed travel times (if using no through traffic/school streets)
Tactile paving on slopes and crossing points; slopes and ramps; steps; uneven surfaces; obstacles and street furniture; long crossings; short crossing signal periods; limited visibility past street furniture for children.
• Incorporate rest spaces (including seating opportunities and quiet spaces).
• Ensure provision of public toilets and changing places.
• Provide drinking fountains.
• Provide toilets and rest spaces (including seating opportunities and quiet spaces)
• Rationalise tactile paving and limit expansive use in one location unless necessary
• Provide longer crossing signal times, pedestrian islands, and limit length of crossings.
• Provide a variety of seat heights, some back and arm rests; choice of sun or shade.
• Provide safe school crossings
• Provision of well shaded streets to reduce potential ill health.
• Use of appropriate paving materials that can help reduce the urban heat island effect
Sex and gender identity
Race, Religion or belief
Well-lit public spaces; activity; clear visibility; less prescriptive play spaces.
Safe congregating points; beliefneutral design, but safe and welcoming to people of different beliefs
Inclusive Design Guidance Summary:
Poor lighting in public spaces; furniture/features creating blind spots; traffic free routes reducing activity; public toilet access
Privatised space/security
• Clear sight lines and lighting schemes;
• Overlooked areas (e.g. through design solutions or co-location of activities)
• Gender-neutral toilets and baby changing rooms
• Non-invasive interventions that assist those with beliefs to negotiate the public realm.
A. Public realm designs should address the impacts they might have on all users and should ensure their use, permanence, and movement for all people (regardless of age, gender, or origin) in an autonomous and easy way, including people with physical or mental disabilities, especially those with reduced mobility.
B. A location’ s public realm should reflect the range of needs and expectation of those who live and work in or visit that location.
C. The needs of these different groups should be measured to ensure accessibility, and inclusivity is at the heart of scheme design.
D. Schemes should be designed with consideration of the range and requirements of likely users, and how these requirements may differ at different times of the day, and in varying weather, environmental conditions, and at different times of the year.
E. Barriers to accessibility and inclusion within the public realm should be removed or mitigated.
F. The starting point for the design of all public spaces should be that no user groups are excluded, or feel excluded, from accessing public space.
G. The City Council expects equal access to be at the core of any public realm design scheme and operation.
H. When designing schemes, inclusivity should be a core consideration from the early concept stages, to ensure that access is fully integrated, and avoid the use of add-on interventions after a scheme has already been designed.
I. For major public realm interventions, and those proposing a change to the layout or function of a space, scheme designers should demonstrate how they have taken account of local requirements and circumstances, considering the demographics of the likely users of the public realm, and location specific needs.
J. Design and operating responses should be location specific.
K. Equality Impact Assessments should be used to identify possible negative impacts of decisions on individuals and groups with protected characteristics and plan mitigating action accordingly.
L. Level access into sites and buildings should be provided within the site/building itself and not through change or intervention to the highway (including footway).
Equality, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Public Engagement
Equality, accessibility, and inclusion should run through all stages of a proposal’s development, including public consultation. Applicants must be mindful of the potential issues that may arise for those with protected characteristics during engagement and provide effective solutions to ensure engagement is truly accessible and inclusive.
Engagement guidance:
• Information should be presented in ways that can be understood by those with differing communication needs (for example, the elderly, people with learning disabilities, people with low literacy levels or people with visual or hearing impairments). Adopting an Easy read approach is encouraged to ensure information is accessible to all.
• Applicants should consider consulting with those with protected characteristics earlier in the process. This is to allow time for modifications to the engagement approach and diversification of consultation materials to be made to accommodate people’s needs.
• Engagement activities should include a mix of both online and in-person events where possible.
• Digital resources should use simple language, enhance usability and be compatible with supportive software tools which aid digital accessibility, such as read aloud extensions
• Engagement activities should aim to do as much as feasibly possible to involve hard-to-reach groups. This includes holding sessions in a variety of different locations and offering different times of day, preferably those that are most convenient for the target group
• Concerning hard-to-reach groups, teams carrying out the engagement should aim to be as diverse as possible to create an inclusive atmosphere and encourage contributions from those who may prefer to speak to someone of a particular gender or ethnic background.
• Collation of equality data is crucial for evaluating the consultation process and suggesting improvements moving forward.
Further guidance is set out in Westminster’s Inclusive Design Guidance which has informed development of this SPD The Inclusive Design Guidance references British Standards. The SPD sets out how these standards will be applied in Westminster.
Subject specific guidance relating to accessibility and inclusion is spread throughout this SPD and is a fundamental consideration when designing, delivering and managing any public realm scheme.
See Appendix 1 for Westminster’s detailed ‘Inclusive Design Guidance’ and guidance for completing Equalities Impact Assessments for public realm schemes.