Access Statement

General

• SpringTide Villa is a two-storey house.

• On the ground floor there is a small entrance hall, a WC, a lounge with double doors through to the kitchen-diner and another set of double doors through to the sunroom. There is a door into the integral garage from the kitchen, with a step down into the garage for access to the washing machine and boiler.

• A straight staircase leads from the hallway up to the landing, off which are four bedrooms and a bathroom.

• The flooring is solid oak throughout the lounge and bedroom areas, with rugs in the lounge and beside the beds.

• The stairs and landing are carpeted.

• The floors in the kitchen-diner, sunroom, downstairs WC, bathroom and en suite shower are tiled.

• The light switches are low and electrical sockets high to enable access from a seated position.

• All the doors are latch-handle operated.

• Doorways are approximately 77 cm wide.

• There are mains-linked smoke detectors with audible alarm downstairs in the kitchen and upstairs on the landing.

• Mobile phone coverage in Ferryside is patchy but the Orange network works well at SpringTide Villa. In the event that guests need to make an important or urgent phone call and cannot use their mobile phones, they can arrange to use our home landline, or there is a payphone near the level crossing in the centre of the village.

• Any information supplied by SpringTide Villa can be produced in large print on request.

• Assistance dogs are accepted.

• Ferryside is a request stop on the main train line and is also served by local buses. The walk is about 10 minutes to SpringTide Villa, and we are happy to pick up luggage and guests in our car by prior arrangement.

• The driveway and side passages to the garden are block-paved.

• The driveway is sloped up to the house, with a step or a ramp up to the front door.
• The garden is accessible with no steps, and is gravelled and lawned with a slabbed patio area.

Parking

• The driveway is block paved and sloped upwards.

• There is room for two cars on the driveway plus one on the road outside.
• The parking area is well lit.

Entrances

• The front door is accessible by a ramp.

• There is a gate on either side of the house for access to the back garden.

• The back door and the double doors to the sunroom have one step up.

• The doors are manually operated with a lever handle.

• The front door is white UPVC with a stained glass section; the back door is white UPVC with a frosted glass section; the sunroom doors have white UPVC frames with full-length clear glass panes (care should be taken by visually impaired people when using these doors)
• There are outside lights beside the front and back doors.

Lounge

• Manoeuvrability is reasonable, but the entrance from the hall requires a fairly tight turn.

• Access to the kitchen-diner is via double doors which are oak with small glass panels in the top half.

• There is seating available with arm rests and back support.

• A TV and DVD player are present, with the use of remote control and Teletext/subtitle facilities.

• Colour contrast is good between walls and furniture/doors.

Dining area

• The dining chairs do not have arms.

• Lighting is good.

• Colour contrast between the walls and furniture is also good.

• The double doors into the sunroom have white UPVC frames and full-length clear glass panes (care should be taken by visually impaired people when using these doors).

Kitchen

• Some storage is accessible from a seated position.

• There is no free space beneath the sink area, for wheelchair access.

• The microwave is located within easy reach on the kitchen worktop.

• The oven controls are located at the front of the appliance. The oven door flips downwards. Hob controls are on the top.

• The sink taps are lever operated with a mixer tap. Hot and cold are not easily identifiable.

• The fridge-freezer has the freezer section on the bottom.

Downstairs WC

• The sink has a lever-handle mixer tap, but hot and cold directions are not obvious.

• The floor is tiled.

• The lighting is good.

• There is a heated towel rail which can be turned off.

Bedrooms

• There is storage available at range of heights, including drawers accessible from a seated position (although hanging space is not).

• The bedside lamps are within easy reach of the beds.

• There are no televisions in the bedrooms.

• Manoeuvrability around the beds is limited in two of the four bedrooms.

Main bathroom

• The bathroom suite is not significantly colour contrasted against its background.

• The bath is raised on a platform and care must be taken when getting in or out of the bath.

• The bath tap is lever operated, but hot and cold directions are not obvious.

• There is a separate shower cubicle.

• In the shower, hot and cold directions are reasonably easy to identify.

• There is a height-adjustable shower head.

• A non-slip mat is provided for use in the bath or shower.

• A wooden duck board with non-slip feet is provided.

• The shaving point is located at the side of the sink.
• The floor is tiled and care should be taken when wet.

• Lighting is good.

• The sink has a lever-handle mixer tap, but hot and cold directions are not obvious.

• The mirror in not usable from a seated position.

• There are no grab-rails.

• There is a heated towel rail which can be turned off.

En suite bathroom

• The bathroom suite is not significantly colour contrasted against its background.

• There is a large shower cubicle.

• The shower head is height adjustable; the hot and cold directions are reasonably obvious.

• A wooden duck board with non-slip feet is provided.

• The shaving point is located at the side of the sink.

• The floor is tiled and care should be taken when wet.

• Lighting is good.

• The sink has a lever-operated mixer tap but hot and cold directions are not obvious.

• The mirror is not usable from a seated position.
• There is a heated towel rail which can be turned off.