Farmhill Baptist Church

Accessibility Rating 

Physical 

Three out of five 

Sensory 

Four out of five 

Location: Farmhill Baptist Church
Farmhill Lane
Stroud
GL5 4BX

Farmhill Baptist Church is currently in the process of being converted into a community hall. This access audit was undertaken to advise on a range of improvements that need to be implemented to ensure it is as accessible as possible for the whole community.

Parking and entrance

The entrance to Farmhill Baptist Church isn’t very clear and looks quite like a driveway to a house. This may cause confusion if following a satnav as there is a road next to it that it seems is the correct turning to make.
The driveway is on a steep incline with very rough terrain. Care must be taken when driving up it and it would be difficult for a wheelchair user or individual with visual impairments arriving without a vehicle, so assistance will be required. It is not recommended to attempt this in a manual chair. The only step free access to the church is via the driveway as there is currently no footpath.
There is a small car park at the top of the driveway. There are currently no marked parking spaces.
There is step free access to the main building with a slight ramp to the front door. The main doors are double manual doors which leave plenty of room for a wheelchair to get through.

Main hall

The main hall is a large open plan space with moveable furniture. There is also a large kitchen with plenty of space for ease of movement, there are 2 steps that lead to this however, making it currently inaccessible for wheelchairs. The signage in the kitchen
At the front of the main hall is the Baptist pool, this has also has 2 steps to access it, however it is currently not in use, so access is not necessary.

There are two fire exits on either side of the hall. These both have steps to exit and would therefore be unsuitable for a wheelchair user or person with limited mobility to use.

Accessible toilet

To the left of the entrance is the accessible toilet. This is a good size however there is a baby change unit inside that significantly impacts on manoeuvrability. The doorway is 820mm wide, due to the shape of the toilet this should be slightly wider. The toilet is the correct height at 48cm from the ground making transferring to and from the toilet easier. There is no emergency pull cord in the toilet. There a well-positioned grab rails on either side of the toilet and next to sink, there is also a drop-down rail. The transfer space is on the left of the toilet as you face it. The floor is non slip and all of the amenities are at a lowered height. The lock on the door is quite small and would be difficult to use for somebody with limited dexterity.

Garden

There are plans to redesign the garden to make it as accessible as possible. These plans include a shelter at the top of the pathway and a path around the back of the building from the car park. Currently it is accessible however there is a gap in the pathway so travelling over grass is required.