Inclusive Environments — RICS APC Competency Revision Guide

Part M of the Building Regulations sets minimum standards for access to and use of buildings in England. Meeting Part M means a building is legally compliant — it does not necessarily mean it is inclusive. Inclusive design goes further: it considers the full range of users from the outset, seeks to eliminate barriers rather than simply mitigate them, and aims for environments that are usable by everyone without the need for special adaptation. BS 8300 provides detailed guidance on how to achieve inclusive outcomes beyond the minimum Part M requirements.

The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers and employers to make reasonable adjustments to remove physical and non-physical barriers that put disabled people at a substantial disadvantage. What is reasonable depends on the practicality and cost of the adjustment, the resources available, and the benefit to disabled users. Landlords also have obligations in certain circumstances. At Level 2, you should be able to advise a client on what adjustments are likely to be considered reasonable for their property or organisation.

BS 8300 is the British Standard for the design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. It covers external environments, car parking, entrances, horizontal and vertical circulation, facilities such as accessible toilets and changing places, and specific building types. It is more detailed than Part M and represents best practice rather than a legal minimum. For the APC, candidates should understand BS 8300's key principles and be able to reference it when advising on access improvements or reviewing design proposals.

Look for access-related tasks within your existing workload: access audits, planning consultations, lease negotiations where accessibility is a factor, or design reviews. If your role does not naturally produce this evidence, speak to your supervisor about shadowing an access consultant, contributing to a CPD event on inclusive design, or reviewing a project through an access lens. Even a brief analysis of a building's accessibility features and recommendations for improvement can constitute valid Level 2 evidence.

You explain that the Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustments duty applies, but that listed building consent restrictions are a relevant factor in determining what is reasonable. The first step is to exhaust all options that do not require structural alteration: portable ramps, bell-push access to an alternative entrance, hearing-loop installation. You commission or contribute to a formal access audit to document the barriers and the options considered. Where a barrier genuinely cannot be removed without harming the listed character, this should be recorded alongside evidence that all alternatives were assessed. You advise the client that a proactive, documented approach provides the strongest defence if a reasonable adjustments claim is ever made.