Provision of Larger Accessible Changing Rooms and Toilets by Building Owners for Adults with Disabilities or Help-dependent Seniors and Motorised Wheelchair Users

Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for National Development (a) what proportion of buildings in Singapore provide (i) accessible changing rooms for adults with disabilities or seniors who need caregivers to help change them and (ii) larger accessible toilets on every floor for motorised wheelchairs users, respectively; and (b) how does the Ministry seek to encourage more building owners to introduce accessible changing rooms and larger accessible toilets in their buildings.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) requires all new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration (A&A) works to comply with the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment (‘Code’). Since January 2020, the Code requires buildings that are frequented by the public, such as sports complexes, transport interchanges, polyclinics, community clubs and larger shopping malls, to provide at least one accessible changing room at an appropriate location and one larger accessible individual washroom at every floor.

To date, there are about 50 buildings designed with accessible changing rooms for persons with disabilities and seniors, who may need the assistance of their caregivers. The integrated community development at One Punggol and the Mandai Bird Paradise are examples of places that have provided accessible changing rooms. There are about 130 buildings designed with larger accessible toilets. These toilets cater to persons with disabilities and seniors using motorised wheelchair that require a larger manoeuvring space.

To encourage more private building owners to voluntarily retrofit their existing buildings with user-friendly features, BCA's Accessibility Fund co-funds up to 80% of the construction cost for basic accessibility features like larger accessible toilets; and up to 60% of the construction cost for other inclusive features like accessible changing rooms in eligible developments. To further promote this, BCA's Universal Design Excellence Award (UDEA) recognises buildings that have provided more accessible facilities beyond the mandatory Code requirements.