Dr. Gerald Craddock:

The standard used in the UK is BS 8300. As others have noted, standards are voluntary but BS 8300 is used in the revised Part M 2018 in the UK, to which Mr. Cunningham referred. That revised Part M refers to three levels of housing: standard, lifetime adaptable and wheelchair. That is compatible with the three levels we have built in to our universal design home guidelines. Our home guidelines would be above both the UK standard and the new Part M in the UK. A standard has been developed and many developers and agencies use the BS 8300 as a reference. However, as learned colleagues have noted, the regulation is the mandatory part. We all agree that needs to be updated and the level currently in place needs to be improved. As Mr. Cunningham has highlighted, it is currently more about visibility, rather than actually living in the homes.