Families hit out at lack of fully accessible toilet in multi-million pound development
Video report by Emma Wilkinson
Families caring for people with complex disabilities have described a decision not to include a larger, fully accessible toilet in a new cinema complex in Gainsborough as 'cruel and unfair.'
Alison Beevers and Jemma Hurst's sons both have quadriplegic cerebral palsy, so cannot easily go to public buildings without a Changing Places toilet - a toilet facility which is larger and includes equipment such as a hoist and adult-sized changing bench.
Changes made to building regulations in 2021 include the requirement that new public buildings with a capacity of more than 350 have at least one Changing Places toilet.
The initial plans for the four-screen Savoy Cinema complex in Gainsborough included more than 380 seats, but that has since been reduced to around 340.
Savoy Cinemas said in a statement: "We can confirm that Savoy Gainsborough will be fully compliant with part M of the building regulations and we look forward to opening our highly anticipated site in Gainsborough next spring."
Alison and Jemma said, morally, a suitably equipped toilet for people with severe disabilities should have been incorporated into the cinema plans from the beginning.
Alison said: "I don't think people really understand how difficult it is for families like ours.
"Mylor is 18 now, I can't physically lift him out of his wheelchair and put him on a toilet floor, but that's what many people do.
"The irony is that Mylor was an extra in the blockbuster film Morbius, but under these plans he wouldn't be able to go to the cinema to watch the film he's in.
"We're just absolutely appalled that people with complex needs won't have their needs met with dignity in this so-called 'levelling up' project."
Jemma said her son Logan, 16, loves going to the cinema and she currently takes him to either Doncaster or Worksop, where there are Changing Places facilities.
She told ITV News she feels people with complex disabilities have been overlooked: "This development is about bringing people into the town - we live here, but we have to leave and go elsewhere.
"There are no registered Changing Places toilets in Gainsborough at all, so it's heartbreaking that one hasn't been included in this new development.
"They've missed a huge opportunity. A toilet is a basic human right whether you are disabled or not," she added.
The £9 million pound cinema will form part of a wider complex in the Market Place, which will include a restaurant, retail units and car parking provision.
It is being funded through contributions from the Council, the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP), the Levelling Up Fund and Savoy Cinemas.
West Lindsey District Council leader, Cllr Trevor Young said the council is working to develop plans for a changing places facility in Gainsborough: "A number of sites and options are being assessed, and subject to funding being made available we hope to be able to announce details later this year.
"We are grateful to input from the Gainsborough Changing Places campaign which has helped to provide valuable insight into the needs of this community."
Karen Hoe, from the national Changing Places campaign group said that more than 250,000 people in the UK need a Changing Places toilet: "Not being able to access a toilet when you leave your home is just completely unacceptable in 2024.
"It's about equality and human rights - there is plenty of provision for able-bodied people, the same should be true for the thousands of people who depend on Changing Places toilets."
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