One article from around the web recently prompted our social media followers to new levels of emoji uses: planning permission being denied for a ramp to a block of flats on purely aesthetic grounds. Read the story here: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15335414.Disability_ramp_rejected_because_it_would____ruin_the_appearance_of_area_____say_planning_officers/
True, not all ramps are beautiful. They are generally, to quote “Lady Bracknell” of BBC Ouch, “sort of grey and hard and slopey”. And who could forget this 60 metre monster?
You could argue that the rigid structural forms and the mixtures of materials combine utilitarian styling with modern finishes inviting the mind’s eye ever upwards to an inclusive and welcoming future, but it’s a bit too functional to be called modern art.
But is its intrinsic ugliness reason enough to deny it existence? Apparently so. Following complaints, the council are looking at other options.
A neighbouring leaseholder is reported to have said “Should I wish to put my property on the market, it would make the sale difficult to say the least and possibly cause a large financial loss.
“I have every sympathy for people in such a situation, but if it is that bad they surely need to be in accommodation designed for their needs.”
The leaseholder may be unaware that there is an undersupplied market for accessible housing, as reported by the Papworth Trust and Habinteg last year.
The leaseholder may also be unaware that there are approximately a 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK, which is greater than the population of Birmingham.
By Fleur Perry
Editor
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