New office buildings, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues in England must have separate toilets for males and females under rules that will reportedly be unveiled this week.
The amendment to building regulations, which aims to end the “forced sharing” of gender-neutral facilities, will be announced by the UK Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, reports The Telegraph.
The policy, first mooted back in May 2021, had previously been accused of being "transphobic" - an accusation rejected by the Secretary of State for Housing at the time, Robert Jenrick. It came after Mr Jenrick launched a review which identified concerns held by some women about the reduced privacy and longer queues resulting from gender-neutral facilities.
However, these concerns have been dismissed by others, who say studies show that gender-neutral facilities actually reduce waiting times for women - and can offer increased privacy and safety for all users.
Nonetheless, the Telegraph understands the Government will formally announce that non-residential buildings will be blocked from being built with “universal” lavatories. It says Mrs Badenoch insists it is both legal and “important” to provide single-sex spaces for men and women.
A Government source told The Telegraph: “It is vital that women feel safe and comfortable when using public facilities and that there is a greater emphasis on provision that is focused on dignity, privacy, tolerance and respect for all.
“These changes will stop the march of ‘universal’ and forced sharing of spaces - with a focus on guaranteeing privacy for all. This is a common sense approach that is inclusive for all.”
Campaign group Fair Play for Women has said that women are “disadvantaged” by gender-neutral facilities that contain a mixture of urinals and cubicles. In one submission to Government it said: "Many women and girls are unwilling to walk past the urinals to get to the cubicles in the former men’s facilities."
The Telegraph reports that the new rules will apply to all buildings over a certain size. The size limit will be set after a technical consultation in the autumn.
Ministers and Downing Street want the changes to apply to all buildings that operate as business premises, according to the Telegraph's sources.
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