Major survey set to take place in Letchworth to improve accessibility
Founder of the Access Advisory Group Celia Saunders - Credit: Archant
A major survey is set to take place around Letchworth as part of a campaign to make the town a trailblazer for accessibility.
The Access Advisory Group – which aims to make life easier for people shopping, visiting or living in the town – is to work with national disability information service DisabledGo and the Letchworth Business Improvement District to visit every town centre business and offer tips on improvements.
As well as the survey, the group is checking on the number and condition of disabled driver bays in car parks, and looking at road crossings, dropped kerbs, and town centre signage.
The Access Advisory Group was set up – and is chaired – by Celia Saunders, alongside Penny Wyatt and North Herts district councillor Sandra Lunn, and is supported by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation and the BID.
Celia, who is also a Foundation governor, said: “We hope to become a town for all people to visit and enjoy and this is an important step on the way.
“The group is not just focused on the needs of disabled people but also parents of young children and older people.
“Accessibility could mean ease of use for people with babies or toddlers in buggies, wheelchair users, people with mobility issues, or access to toilet facilities.”
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Celia and the team will ultimately compile information on their accessibility for DisabledGo’s national website to enable more people to plan a visit with confidence.
The group has previously made amendments on accessibility in the Foundation’s new design principles for shops, and successfully brought about the creation of better signage to disabled toilets in the town centre.
If you want to have your say on the most and least accessible parts of Letchworth you can send an email headed Access Advisory Group to communityhub@letchworth.com.
