Product · accessible variant

A bench nobody can reach is not public furniture.

SELS markets accessible seating. We published nothing at all, which was the weakest row on the whole scorecard because it is the one gap that is entirely a drawing exercise. Here is the variant in numbers: clearances, knee depth, approach envelope, charge point reach height, contrast values and tactile treatment, each against the clause it answers. It is quoted at the same price as the standard bench so nobody has a budget reason to omit it.

760 mm

Clear table underside height

Committed

820 mm

Charge point reach height, both ends

Committed

1 in 3

Minimum accessible variants per group

Committed

The specification

Twelve dimensions, and the clause each one answers.

An access officer does not want a paragraph about inclusion. They want the knee depth and the cross-fall, and they want to know which guidance you designed against.

Wheelchair table clearance height

Specified value: 760 mm clear underside to the table leaf
Basis: BS 8300-1 cl. 5.3 seating and table provision

Knee and toe depth

Specified value: 600 mm knee depth, 230 mm toe depth at 900 mm width
Basis: BS 8300-1 table 3, wheelchair footprint

Approach envelope

Specified value: 1,500 x 1,500 mm level turning space on the open side, no ballast tray inside it
Basis: Approved Document M vol. 2 cl. 1.29

Standing and transfer area

Specified value: Firm, level, maximum 1:60 cross-fall, bound surface not loose gravel
Basis: BS 8300-1 cl. 4.3 external routes

USB-C charge point reach height

Specified value: 820 mm above finished level, forward reach, on both ends of the bench
Basis: Approved Document M cl. 4.30 reach range 750 to 1,200 mm

Armrest and transfer support

Specified value: One armrest at 200 mm above seat, one bay left open for lateral transfer
Basis: BS 8300-1 cl. 5.3.2, mixed seating provision

Seat height

Specified value: 480 mm on the accessible variant, 20 mm above the standard bench
Basis: BS 8300-1 preferred external seat height for assisted rising

Visual contrast

Specified value: Minimum 30 points light reflectance value difference, seat edge against deck and canopy leg against ground
Basis: Approved Document M cl. 3.14 visual contrast

Tactile edge

Specified value: Ribbed nosing on the leading seat plank, detectable underfoot and by cane
Basis: BS 8300-1 cl. 4.5 hazard detection

Canopy leg detection

Specified value: Legs kept outside the 1,500 mm approach, cane-detectable to 300 mm above ground
Basis: BS 8300-1 cl. 4.5.2, projecting hazards

Lighting at the charge point

Specified value: 20 lux minimum on the socket face after dusk, no glare into the seated eye line
Basis: BS 5489-1 external amenity lighting

Wayfinding and information

Specified value: Sans-serif 22 pt minimum, tactile QR plate, plain-English instructions, no colour-only coding
Basis: Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustment, RNIB clear print guidance

Parameter	Specified value	Basis
Wheelchair table clearance height	760 mm clear underside to the table leaf	BS 8300-1 cl. 5.3 seating and table provision
Knee and toe depth	600 mm knee depth, 230 mm toe depth at 900 mm width	BS 8300-1 table 3, wheelchair footprint
Approach envelope	1,500 x 1,500 mm level turning space on the open side, no ballast tray inside it	Approved Document M vol. 2 cl. 1.29
Standing and transfer area	Firm, level, maximum 1:60 cross-fall, bound surface not loose gravel	BS 8300-1 cl. 4.3 external routes
USB-C charge point reach height	820 mm above finished level, forward reach, on both ends of the bench	Approved Document M cl. 4.30 reach range 750 to 1,200 mm
Armrest and transfer support	One armrest at 200 mm above seat, one bay left open for lateral transfer	BS 8300-1 cl. 5.3.2, mixed seating provision
Seat height	480 mm on the accessible variant, 20 mm above the standard bench	BS 8300-1 preferred external seat height for assisted rising
Visual contrast	Minimum 30 points light reflectance value difference, seat edge against deck and canopy leg against ground	Approved Document M cl. 3.14 visual contrast
Tactile edge	Ribbed nosing on the leading seat plank, detectable underfoot and by cane	BS 8300-1 cl. 4.5 hazard detection
Canopy leg detection	Legs kept outside the 1,500 mm approach, cane-detectable to 300 mm above ground	BS 8300-1 cl. 4.5.2, projecting hazards
Lighting at the charge point	20 lux minimum on the socket face after dusk, no glare into the seated eye line	BS 5489-1 external amenity lighting
Wayfinding and information	Sans-serif 22 pt minimum, tactile QR plate, plain-English instructions, no colour-only coding	Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustment, RNIB clear print guidance

Committed

Duties

Why this had to exist before anyone was excluded.

Equality Act 2010, anticipatory duty on service providers

A public bench is a service. The duty is anticipatory, which means the accessible variant has to exist before someone is excluded, not after a complaint.

Public Sector Equality Duty, section 149

Our borough buyers carry this duty, so a supplier who cannot evidence accessible provision creates a scoring problem for them. Publishing the dimensions removes that problem.

Approved Document M and BS 8300

Guidance rather than law for external furniture, but it is the yardstick an access officer will use, so we design to it and cite the clauses.

Provision rule

Access is delivered by the estate, not by one clever bench.

Different bodies need different seating. A run of identical benches fails somebody whatever height you choose, so the rule is a mix with a guaranteed floor.

One accessible variant in every group of three benches, minimum one per site.

Where a site takes a single bench, that bench is the accessible variant by default.

Standard and accessible variants share the frame, the array, the pack and the electronics. Only the deck, table leaf and armrest set change.

Price parity: the accessible variant is quoted at the same price as the standard bench, so nobody has a budget reason to omit it.

Accessible variants are labelled on the fleet view so an estate can prove its mix.

Still outstanding

A drawing is a claim. Three tests turn it into evidence.

These need a built variant and real participants. We will publish what they find, including anything that shows the drawing was optimistic.

·Transfer trial with a disabled users' panel on the first physical variant, findings published whether or not they are flattering.
·Cane-detection walkthrough with a visually impaired participant at dusk, on a wet surface.
·Reach test with powered and manual chairs of differing footprints, since the drawing envelope is a minimum not a guarantee.

Where this sits

This variant closes the inclusive access row on the differentiation roadmap, and its dimensions are carried into the tender specification.