Changing Places, Congress Theatre Eastbourne

Client
Eastbourne Borough Council

Duration
8 weeks

The Brief

• Changing Places is a fantastic organisation which provides fully accessible toilets in public places, with a full range of facilities beyond standard accessible cubicles.
• Standard accessible toilets do not typically provide changing benches or hoists and are too small to accommodate more than one person – this can make them dangerous, unhygienic and undignified. Changing Places toilets aim to change this experience for people with disabilities, enabling them to use public toilets with dignity and affording them a better standard of life.
• Our job was to install a Changing Places toilet in the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne.

Our Solution

• Hawes Construction Group completed all internal alterations to the entrance area of the theatre, halving the existing room and putting up walls.
• We installed a temporary partition, so that the building works were secure from the foyer, and so that the public couldn’t gain access.
• We adapted the existing space in the Theatre to make it suitable for a Changing Places toilet.
• We clad the walls in wipe-clean laminate boarding.
• We installed a hoist, toilet, washing facilities, screen, grab rails, and an adult-sized changing station.
• Hawes completed all carpentry work and flooring installation, bringing in subcontractors to install the specialist equipment and decorations.
• The theatre was live throughout, with regular performances, so we worked around their schedule to ensure that we didn’t interrupt any events or disturb their staff.

The Result

• We completed the project within the timescale and budget agreed.
• We successfully installed a fully functional Changing Places toilet, providing people with disabilities and their carers with a safe space to change in dignity, with all the facilities they might need.
• We worked closely with the Congress Theatre and Eastbourne Borough Council throughout, and they were very happy with the result.
• Follow this link to find out about Changing Places toilets near you.