A disability campaigner said new disabled toilets in Holland Park are a ‘lifeline’ as the council reveals plans to build more.
Mariya Stoeva from the disability charity Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea (ADKC) Access Group said the new Changing Places toilet offered people with a disability “basic human rights”.
Unlike standard accessible toilets, Changing Places toilets offer more space, a height adjustable toilet, sink, an adult-sized changing bench, a hoist and shower.
The facility was built in the stable yard in Holland Park earlier this month and is part of a £500k project by Kensington and Chelsea Council to refurbish changing rooms and public toilets across the popular nature spot.
Mariya, who chairs ADKC, said it took three years of campaigning to have a Changing Places facility built in Holland Park and won’t stop campaigning until more are found on London’s high streets, tube stations and parks.
She said: “Lack of fully accessible disabled public toilets and Changing Place facilities is one of the biggest barriers to disabled people accessing the opportunities which other people in society take for granted.
“It can result in disabled visitors hesitating to go to cultural and communal spaces like parks and galleries, and increase isolation.
“Good access is not only about a physical accessibility, but it also is an ethos of the inclusion of everyone. We are so very pleased that the council has installed a new Changing Places toilet in Holland Park.”
To get things done, she enlisted guest speakers from local authorities and service providers to ADKC meetings every fortnight where she and some of its 1,000 members would probe them.
She said: “The way we done this was that we had guest speakers come to our meetings. That way we raised the issues we had with getting more Changing Places facilities.
“We would tell them something and they would say to us ‘oh, I didn’t even think about that’.
“We also worked closely with the council’s park officers and with lead members. We kept requesting a Changing Places toilet in Holland Park.”
Mariya, who became disabled after being given an overdose of the polio vaccine in her native Bulgaria when she was a child, said the toilets were a game-changer for people with disabilities.
She said: “Changing Place toilets offer freedom and flexibility and provide basic human rights like dignity and independence for everyone.
“It means I can go out without worrying and plan my journey. Before I would hesitate to stay out longer or I would plan to go home earlier. But now it means I can stay as long as I want and it means many more disabled people can enjoy Holland Park. They can continue their journeys and enjoy the fresh air.”
Kensington and Chelsea Council are aiming to build a second Changing Places toilet in Kensington Memorial Park that could be completed by autumn next year.
A third is expected to be built south of the borough.
Cllr Emma Will, Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, said: “This new facility means far more people can now enjoy Holland Park, or go to the shops on High Street Kensington, or visit the Design Museum without having to worry about planning their journey.
“We are going to provide more Changing Places toilets to make people’s lives easier, we already have planning permission for one in North Kensington, in Kensington Memorial Park and we are looking for a site in Chelsea as well.”
There are Changing Places toilets at the National Army Museum, the Science Museum, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital.
According to a map by Changing Places Toilets, there are 1,912 across the UK with 167 in the capital.
