16 August 2023The government is proposing changes to new building regulations, whereby all new non-domestic public and private buildings in England will be required to provide separate single-sex toilets for women and men, or as a minimum, a self-contained, private toilet.
The proposed change has arisen from dignity and privacy concerns from women and elderly people who feel they are being unfairly disadvantaged with publicly accessible toilets increasingly converted into gender neutral facilities. To help maximise privacy and dignity for all, in addition to single sex toilets becoming the default for new non-residential buildings, the guidelines will also encourage the consideration of additional self-contained toilets.
The government has launched a technical consultation on its proposal, closing on 8 October 2023.
