Overview

This Changing Places Toilet was one of the biggest I’ve ever been in! There was an incredible amount of space in here. Some aspects that I’ve come to expect weren’t here, such as the height-adjustable sinks. But it was still well-equipped and the space made it feel really accommodating. There was also an incredible amount of information provided to help those who needed to use the equipment. I would definitely recommend using this toilet if you were looking for a Changing Places Toilet in central Norwich!

Transport & Parking

The shopping centre has two designated car parks and has a total of 30 accessible parking spaces available across the two car parks. Charges apply for parking in both and they have a height restriction of 2 metres (6ft 6in). There are two bus stops located right by the other entrance to the shopping centre on Castle Meadow. The buses you can get from here are: 23, 24, 42, 43, 43A, 44A, 45, 45A, 54, 55B, 57, X0, X41, X44 and X55. Norwich Train Station is about 1 kilometre away from the shopping centre. It’s approximately a 15-minute walk, although there are some steep inclines on the roads. Those that struggle with severe inclines may find the walk is longer.

Access

This was a ginormous Changing Places Toilet! It was located in Castle Quarter shopping centre in Norwich. If you entered via Cattle Market Street then you’d find the toilet on your left-hand side as soon as you enter the building. This is the simplest way to find the toilet and provides step-free access. The signage for this toilet throughout the shopping mall is pretty good and you’d be able to find it from anywhere in the shopping centre. It’s worth noting that this shopping centre is based on a hill with some extremely steep inclines on the roads approaching it. If you’re approaching on foot or wheels and struggle with severe inclines you may want to look at other ways to reach this destination.

Toilets

I used my RADAR key to access the toilet and the door opened inwards. Because of how much space there was in this toilet I actually preferred the door opening inwards here. It meant that I could put my bag in front of the door to help keep it closed just in case someone else tried to use their RADAR key to get in too. Usually the space inside the toilet is much smaller so an outward opening door is better but this worked well here. The toilet had lots of space for both a left- and right-side transfer with grab rails that could be raised and lowered on both sides. There were also two vertical grab rails that were mounted on the wall behind the toilet, one on each side of it. The flush was operated with a flush handle on the toilet cistern. This was mounted behind the toilet but higher up, the bottom of the cistern was the same height at the lid of the toilet seat when it was in an upright position. Opposite the toilet was a height-adjustable bench and a ceiling hoist. A stocked paper towel dispenser was mounted on the wall to the left to provide a covering for the bench. The sink was towards the back of the room. It had a tap that was manually operated (no automatic sensors) with a large handle. A mirror was mounted directly above the sink and a soap dispenser was mounted to the left of the mirror. The soap dispenser needed to be pushed to dispense. An automatic hand dryer was mounted on the wall to the left of the sink. A paper towel dispenser was also available next to the hand dryer. Behind the sink was an information board which had posters with information about how some of the equipment in the room was operated. There was also a small table and chair in the room and on the table was another guide to how some of the equipment worked. The emergency red cord was hanging freely to the floor.

Staff

Photos