People with disabilities that prevent them from using standard disabled toilets are to benefit from state-of-the-art new facilities in Redditch.

A ‘Changing Places’ facility to make it easier for disabled children and adults to have days out in the town is being brought to the town’s Kingfisher Shopping Centre by a partnership of the centre, Redditch Borough Council, and Redditch BID.

The new £127,000 convenience is coming this year after the venue, council, and BID put up £45,000, £22,000, and £20,000 respectively, and secured the final £40,000 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

Changing Places toilets are designed for people who cannot use standard disabled toilets, and come with additional accessibility equipment, such as hoists and adult sized changing benches.

Redditch’s bid to DLUHC was championed by local Paralympian Leanna Horne, and supported by Young Solutions, Myriad Centre, Spectrum Days, and Chadsgrove School, all of which work with disabled people in Redditch, as well as the Cultural Compact for North East Worcestershire.

Leanna said: “Redditch has wanted a facility like this in the centre for years, and it will now mean that people like me who go out and about with friends or a personal assistant can enjoy a day out without the added anxiety of how we are going to access the toilet. It’s a problem I’m delighted to see corrected in Redditch.”

In a 2021 study of disabled consumers, families and carers listed transport centres and country parks as amongst the top places these facilities should go, to be able to plan days out. The Kingfisher Shopping Centre is central to Redditch, next to all the town’s major transport links, just a short distance from the Palace Theatre, and less than a mile from Arrow Valley County Park and its visitor attractions.

The Kingfisher Shopping Centre’s General Manager, Adrian Field, said: “We are delighted to be installing the Changing Places facility in the Kingfisher Centre for the use of visitors to Redditch. Toilet provision is such an important factor in where people go to and how long they visit and through a brilliant collaboration of partners, we can collectively improve the experience for those who need what will be a superb facility.”

Redditch Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Cllr Lucy Harrison, said: “Everyone wants to be able to have worry-free days out to go shopping and enjoy a bit of heritage and culture. Whatever you want to do in Redditch, ensuring the town is accessible to all is a council priority.”

Redditch BID Manager, Muj Rahman, said: “Redditch BID works to help businesses thrive and that includes making the town centre more accessible to everyone.”

The 1 million square foot shopping centre hosts retail, leisure, public, and community services, as well as one of the nation’s biggest public artworks, the vibrant Paolozzi Mosaics, whose panels cover over 2,500 square feet of the centre’s Milward Square.

The Changing Places toilet will complement other accessibility facilities there including accessible toilets, parent and child changing rooms, and the borough council’s integrated Shopmobility and Dial-A-Ride community services.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, added: “This is the latest example of one of Redditch’s great strengths, our local partnerships, uniting public, private, and community organisations to benefit the town.”