Platform Lift Building Regulations
What Approved Document M says about platform lifts in public buildings and homes: speed, platform sizes, enclosures, ramps and building control.
Part M and Approved Document M
Part M of the Building Regulations requires reasonable provision for people to access and use buildings. Approved Document M explains how to meet that requirement and comes in two volumes:
Volume 1: Dwellings — new homes, with optional higher standards for accessible and wheelchair user homes.
Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings — shops, offices, schools, public buildings and so on. Most of the detail on lifting platforms is here.
The rules apply to new buildings and to building work such as extensions and alterations. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions of these rules, so check the guidance for your nation. Always work from the current edition.
What Approved Document M says about lifting platforms
Approved Document M treats a passenger lift as the most suitable way to give vertical access. Lifting platforms are widely used where a passenger lift isn’t practicable — particularly in existing buildings and for short rises. Where one is used, the guidance covers several points.
Requirement | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
Speed | No faster than 0.15 m/s |
Unenclosed platform, wheelchair user alone | At least 800 mm wide × 1,250 mm deep |
Enclosed platform, wheelchair user alone | At least 900 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep |
Enclosed platform, accompanied, doors at 90° | At least 1,100 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep |
Travel over 2 m | A liftway enclosure should be provided |
Door arrangement | Opposing doors or doors at 90° preferred, so users don’t have to reverse out |
Figures from Approved Document M Volume 2 as summarised by Designing Buildings. Check the current edition for full wording, including controls, signage and alarms.
Why the platform size matters
The minimum sizes are exactly that — minimums. A large powered wheelchair, or a user who needs a companion, may need more. Measure the wheelchair before choosing a platform, and allow for the way the user boards and leaves.
Ramps and when a lift is needed instead
Part M also sets limits on ramps, which is why lifts are so often the answer to a change in level.
Going of a ramp flight | Maximum gradient | Maximum rise |
|---|---|---|
10 m | 1:20 | 500 mm |
5 m | 1:15 | 333 mm |
2 m | 1:12 | 166 mm |
Intermediate goings are interpolated. Each flight should rise no more than 500 mm, with landings at least 1.2 m long at the top and bottom.
Where the total rise is more than 2 m, the guidance says an alternative such as a lift should be available for wheelchair users. In practice, even a smaller rise can need far more ramp than the space allows. Our platform lift vs ramp comparison works through the trade-offs.
Need a lift that meets Part M?
Tell us about the building and the change in level, and we’ll match you with vetted installers who can survey it and propose a compliant lift. Free to you, with no obligation.
→ Enquire about a platform lift
Platform lifts in homes
For new homes, Volume 1 sets three categories: visitable dwellings (M4(1)), accessible and adaptable dwellings (M4(2)) and wheelchair user dwellings (M4(3)). The higher categories apply only where a planning condition requires them. Wheelchair user dwellings on more than one level include provision for a lift between floors.
For existing homes, installing a lift is usually building work in its own right. A through-floor lift or homelift that needs an opening in the floor involves structural work, so building control approval is needed. Our guide to planning permission for a home lift covers the approvals for homes in more detail, and our home lifts UK guide covers the lifts themselves.
Building control and sign-off
Notify building control before work starts, through your local authority or an approved inspector. Your installer or builder may handle this for you.
Fire safety. A lift enclosure or floor opening can affect fire separation between floors. This is checked as part of building control.
Electrics. New electrical circuits must be installed and certified by a competent person.
Standards. Vertical lifting platforms are built to EN 81-41 and inclined platforms to EN 81-40. Our EN 81-41 vs EN 81-40 guide explains the difference.
Beyond the Building Regulations
Meeting Part M doesn’t end your responsibilities. Organisations serving the public also have duties under the Equality Act 2010, and lifts used at work need LOLER thorough examinations. See our commercial platform lift and platform lift for schools guides.
Arrange a survey
An experienced installer will know how Part M applies to your building and can propose a lift that meets it. A survey is free and carries no obligation. Tell us about your project and we’ll match you with vetted installers who cover your area. Installers pay us only when we refer a genuine enquiry, so our interest is in matching you well.
