Access Performance Solutions and DDA Compliance

An access performance solution shows that a building still gives people with disability equitable and dignified access even where a design departs from the Deemed to Satisfy provisions or from AS 1428.1. It is used when a ramp, door, lift, toilet or path of travel cannot meet the prescribed dimensions, often in existing buildings.

The rules that apply

Three things work together on access:

  • The NCC, which sets the building access requirements through its Deemed to Satisfy provisions and Performance Requirements.

  • The Disability (Access to Premises Buildings) Standards 2010, known as the Premises Standards, which apply to new buildings and to the affected parts of existing buildings being upgraded.

  • The Disability Discrimination Act 1992, which makes discrimination in access to premises unlawful whether or not a building has a permit.

Meeting the NCC does not remove DDA obligations, so an access report should consider all three.

When you may need an access performance solution

  • Ramp grades or lengths that cannot be achieved on a sloping site

  • Door widths, clearances or thresholds that do not meet the standard

  • Lifts that are smaller than the required dimensions

  • Accessible toilets that cannot be built to the standard layout

  • Heritage or structural constraints that block a Deemed to Satisfy solution

  • An unjustifiable hardship case, where full compliance would impose an unreasonable burden

What an access report contains

  1. A description of the building, its class and the work proposed

  2. The access requirements that apply and which parts of the building they affect

  3. Each departure, with the reasoning for why access is still achieved

  4. Alternative measures, such as assistance, signage or an alternative route

  5. Conclusions the building surveyor can rely on when assessing the permit

Access consultants and building surveyors have different roles. A consultant who is also a registered building surveyor can write the report in a form that approval authorities find easy to assess.

Next step

Start with our free checklist, which includes access questions. For the full service, see access reports and DDA compliance consulting, or Request a Fee Proposal. You may also want to read What is a performance solution? and our cost and timeframe guide.