Changing Places Toilets — Where They Are and Who Must Provide One

A standard accessible toilet does not work for everyone. People who need help from one or two carers, or who need a hoist and an adult-sized changing bench, cannot use a room designed for an independent wheelchair user. That is the gap Changing Places toilets exist to fill.

There are roughly 2,650 registered across the UK, including 75 motorway service areas. This guide explains what they contain, which buildings must now provide one, and why the rule has not transformed provision as quickly as many expected.

What a Changing Places Toilet Contains

These are substantially larger than a standard accessible toilet and are designed for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, or other conditions requiring assistance. A registered facility provides:

• an adult-sized changing bench
• a hoist, usually ceiling-tracked
• enough space for the user and up to two assistants
• a centrally placed toilet with room on both sides
• a screen or curtain, and a non-slip floor

They are provided in addition to standard accessible toilets, not instead of them.

The 2021 Rule in England

Amendments to Approved Document M volume 2 took effect on 1 January 2021. They set out a recognised compliance route requiring a Changing Places toilet in specified new large public buildings in England.

The building types covered are:

• assembly, recreation and entertainment buildings with capacity for 350 or more people
• associated sites such as theme parks, zoos, sports and exhibition venues with capacity for 2,000 or more
• shopping centres, malls and retail parks of 30,000m² or more
• individual retail premises of 2,500m² or more
• sport and leisure buildings over 5,000m²
• hospitals and primary care centres
• crematoria and cemetery buildings

Why It Has Not Changed Things Overnight

Two limits explain the gap between the rule and the reality on the ground.

It is not retrospective. Building control duties arise principally for new work, relevant alterations and changes of use. An existing shopping centre is not required to retrofit one simply because the rule exists. Separate reasonable-adjustment duties under equality law may still apply, but that is a different and more fact-specific test.

It applies to England only. Scotland and Wales set their own building and planning rules. Scotland's building standards state there is no requirement to provide a Changing Places toilet under building regulations, though guidance exists for those choosing to; Scottish planning thresholds cover buildings over 5,000m² or usable by more than 1,000 people at once. Presenting the 2021 change as a UK-wide rule is a common and material error.

The Funding Programmes

Two separate government pots are frequently confused:

• the Changing Places Fund for existing buildings in England — up to £30 million across 2021/22 to 2023/24. Round 1 allocated £23.5m to 190 councils for more than 500 proposed facilities; Round 2 about £7m to 64 councils. The GOV.UK collection is now marked withdrawn, reflecting that applications have closed.
• a separate £2 million Department for Transport programme funding facilities at motorway and trunk road service stations. This should not be described as part of the £30m fund.

Finding One Before You Travel

Because coverage is patchy, planning matters more than it should. The official Changing Places map is the authoritative register, and it is the source venues use when they register a new facility.

Two practical cautions. Registered does not always mean open — some facilities are locked and need a key from reception, and opening hours can be shorter than the building's. And a venue advertising "accessible toilets" is usually not advertising a Changing Places facility; the two are routinely conflated in venue listings.

A Note on the Numbers

You may see 3,182 quoted rather than about 2,650. That larger figure appears on a separate independent map and could not be reconciled with the Changing Places Consortium's active register. The official campaign figure is the safer one to rely on, and because facilities are registered and de-registered continually, treat any total as approximate.

Key Resources

• Changing Places Consortium: changing-places.org — the official register and map
• PAMIS: pamis.org.uk — campaigns for and supports Changing Places provision
• Approved Document M volume 2: gov.uk — the England building rule and its thresholds
• Scottish building standards: gov.scot — Scotland sets its own, different requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Changing Places toilets are there in the UK?

About 2,650 are actively registered with the Changing Places Consortium, including 75 at motorway service areas. The total shifts as facilities are added and removed, so check the official map rather than relying on a fixed number quoted elsewhere.

Do all new shopping centres have to include one?

In England, shopping centres, malls and retail parks of 30,000m² or more must, and individual retail premises of 2,500m² or more. The rule applies to new building work rather than existing premises, and Scotland and Wales set their own separate requirements.

Do I need a key to use a Changing Places toilet?

Sometimes. Many are open, but some are locked and need a key from reception or a RADAR key. Because arrangements vary by venue, check the listing on the official map or ring ahead if you are relying on a specific facility.