Changes in building regulations will require new non-domestic buildings to provide separate single-sex toilets for women and men.
The government is introducing the new legislation following a technical consultation on the proposal to mandate male and female toilets in all new public buildings in England, including restaurants, shopping centres, offices and public toilets. Schools are exempt from this requirement.
The changes in Approved Document T include the “reasonable provision” of self-contained “universal toilets”, which are fully enclosed rooms including washbasins and hand-drying facilities for individual use.
The government distinguishes between gender-neutral and unisex or universal toilets, which it defines as “single, standalone facilities used by both genders”.
Universal toilets may be provided instead of single-sex toilets only where lack of space reasonably precludes the provision of single-sex facilities.
A halt to gender-neutral toilets
According to the minister for women and equalities, Kemi Badenoch, these regulations will put a halt to “the rise of so-called ‘gender-neutral’ mixed-sex toilet spaces, which deny privacy and dignity to both men and women”.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) said that in its consultation, 81% of respondents agreed with the intention for separate single-sex toilet facilities and 82% agreed to provide universal toilets where space allows.
DLUHC added that the responses highlighted “particular concerns from women, elderly and the disabled who felt unfairly disadvantaged as publicly accessible toilets are increasingly being converted into gender-neutral facilities where users share cubicle and hand-washing facilities”.
The changes will take effect in England only.
