Season 2 Ep 2

Summary

Ruth Hunter is joined by Suzanne Tate, founder of Studio TO, an award-winning architecture practice with a passion for inclusive design and creating spaces that support human potential.

Together they explore why accessibility should never be an afterthought, how discrimination has been designed into our buildings, and why the industry must move beyond tick-box compliance to focus on equity of experience, how a space feels to move through, arrive in, and belong in.

Suzanne also shares insight from her role judging the Civic Trust Awards (including the Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design), including standout examples of inclusive architecture and a real-world case where “public” design still pushed wheelchair users to a lesser side entrance.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome + introduction to Suzanne Tate and Studio TO

01:12 — How Ruth and Suzanne met and why this conversation has been a long time coming

03:03 — Suzanne’s approach: architecture through psychology, wellbeing and human potential

05:20 — Why design education misses accessibility and how Suzanne learned through lived exposure

07:50 — Experiencing the built world differently: wheelchairs, blindness, autism and sensory needs

11:04 — Why awareness still isn’t widespread (architects, developers and homeowners)

12:01 — Designing for life: the questions private clients should be asked during renovations

12:59 — Beyond compliance: why “code-based” design doesn’t create inclusive experiences

16:29 — Civic Trust judging: what they assess beyond aesthetics and architecture trends

18:52 — A standout project: Southeast Dance in Brighton and why it’s a benchmark

21:18 — Why a brilliant project still might not win (and how high the bar is)

22:05 — The “how did this happen?” moment: a new public entrance with steps

24:39 — Side entrances and inequality: why equity of experience matters

25:33 — A major shift: designing for emotional experience, not just widths and regs

27:08 — Designing for children and what it teaches us about scale and perception

28:13 — Proving the model: Ruth and Suzanne’s first joint project and what it aims to show

29:52 — The language problem: why “accessible design” creates resistance and assumptions

31:20 — Reframing as humanity, wellbeing and intuitive support (not “ugly” adaptations)

33:11 — Invisible Creations and the power of normalising supportive features

35:55 — The commercial question: value, rent and demand (and why we need proof)

36:58 — Fundamentals developers can implement now without blowing budgets

39:03 — Suzanne’s magic wand: mindset shift before anything else changes

39:55 — Suzanne’s message: challenge yourself, every small change compounds

40:57 — Where to find Studio TO + how to connect with Suzanne

Keywords

Universal design, inclusive design, accessible housing, equity of experience, discrimination by design, Civic Trust Awards, Selwyn Goldsmith Award, Studio TO, architecture, interior architecture, sensory design, autism-friendly spaces, wellbeing in buildings, mobility, wheelchair access, level thresholds, wider doorways, corridor widths, prams and strollers, ageing population, design legacy, inclusive workplaces, Brighton Southeast Dance, side entrance accessibility, Invisible Creations, grab rails, supportive design features

Contact details

Suzanne Tate / Studio TO Instagram: studio_to_london LinkedIn: Suzanne Tate Website: www.studio-to.co.uk

Thanks for listening to Accessible Housing Matters UK!

If you’re inspired to learn more or want to explore working with me on creating accessible, inclusive, and beautiful properties, I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Visit www.veredusproperty.com 📩 Email me directly at info@veredusproperty.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ruthhunter

Together, we can make accessible housing the standard, not the exception. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about inclusive living!

Ruth Hunter is joined by Lord Richard Best, one of the UK’s most influential voices in housing policy and a long-standing campaigner for Lifetime Homes and inclusive design.

Lord Best shares how the Lifetime Homes movement began, why accessibility progress has stalled, and what needs to change now — including making M4(2) the default through Building Regulations and creating trusted Good Home Hubs so people can get impartial support to adapt their homes before crisis hits.

The conversation also explores the power of major housebuilders, the economics of preventing falls, and why stigma and poor design still stop people from accepting adaptations.

• 00:00 — Welcome + introduction to Lord Richard Best

• 01:39 — The letter that changed everything: Dr Jenny Morris calls out a lack of accessibility

• 03:20 — Creating Lifetime Homes: the 16 principles and “homes for a whole lifetime”

• 05:00 — Housebuilders’ resistance and why standards work best when they’re mandatory

• 06:22 — The lift analogy: how regulation normalises better design

• 08:30 — Why we need to move beyond M4(1): the case for M4(2) as baseline

• 09:48 — Lifetime Homes vs specialist older persons’ housing: why both matter

• 11:31 — Falls, delayed discharge, and the real cost of inaccessible homes

• 12:56 — The biggest lever: upgrading Building Regulations (M4(2) as mandatory)

• 16:04 — The “oligopoly”: how a handful of major builders shape delivery

• 18:23 — Downsizing as a housing solution: accessible homes unlocking family stock

• 19:33 — A practical model: redeveloping underused garage sites into accessible homes

• 23:05 — Planning delays aren’t just policy — they’re resourcing and skills

• 26:14 — Retrofitting reality: we’ll never build enough new homes for an ageing population

• 28:42 — The “push factor”: why people act late, not early

• 30:03 — DFG support and why many people still don’t know where to start

• 31:03 — Equity loans for adaptations: unlocking value to fund home improvements

• 32:40 — BATH-OUT: why bathing is one of the most powerful adaptations

• 36:02 — Stigma and aesthetics: why people refuse adaptations (and what good design changes)

• 38:41 — Safety and “visual markers”: how poor exterior design can increase vulnerability

• 40:28 — Two priorities: upgrade regs + create Good Home Hubs

• 46:44 — Political churn: why progress keeps resetting (housing minister turnover)

• 48:46 — How to contact Lord Best

Accessible housing, Lifetime Homes, universal design, Building Regulations, Approved Document M, M4(1), M4(2), M4(3), inclusive design, ageing population, occupational therapy (OT), Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), home adaptations, walk-in showers, falls prevention, delayed discharge, social housing, planning system, housebuilder oligopoly, Good Home Hubs, Centre for Ageing Better, Habinteg, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Dr Jenny Morris

Lord Richard Best: best@parliament.uk

🔗 Connect with Lord Best on LinkedIn (search: Lord Best)

Thanks for listening to Accessible Housing Matters UK!

If you’re inspired to learn more or want to explore working with me on creating accessible, inclusive, and beautiful properties, I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Visit www.veredusproperty.com 📩 Email me directly at info@veredusproperty.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ruthhunter

Together, we can make accessible housing the standard, not the exception. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about inclusive living!

In this episode of Accessible Housing Matters UK, Ruth kicks off Season 2 with a deep dive into accessible bungalow design with small-scale developer Allan Craigen, founder and director of Level One Developments..

Allan shares his journey from running a scaffolding business to buying a modest plot of land at auction with the vision of creating a flagship accessible bungalow scheme. He and Ruth talk candidly about planning refusals over garden sizes, the true cost of surveys and drainage strategies, and why choosing the right architect and builder is absolutely critical when you’re aiming for more than just “wide doors and a ramp”.

They then dig into the nuts and bolts of inclusive design: hybrid M4(2)/M4(3) layouts, level thresholds instead of ramps, properly sized bathrooms and hallways, reinforced walls for future grab rails, and an accessible kitchen designed with input from accessibility specialist Adam Thomas. Allan is refreshingly honest about the mistakes, the extra costs (hello piling!), and what he’d do differently next time to make accessible development scalable, sellable, and commercially viable.

Whether you’re a developer, investor, designer, OT, or you just care about where we’re all going to live as we age, this episode is full of practical insight from someone who’s learning by doing – one accessible bungalow at a time.

00:00 – Welcome, Season 2 intro & meet Allan 02:06 – From scaffolding to small developer: Allan’s background 06:25 – Buying the plot at auction & why bungalows 10:48 – First planning application and refusal over garden sizes 14:45 – Surveys, drainage strategies & the hidden cost of planning 18:33 – Should you do pre-apps and options? Lessons in risk 24:00 – Finding the right architect and discovering accessibility isn’t “just wider doors” 27:45 – Hallways, bathrooms & a hybrid approach between M4(2) and M4(3) 33:20 – Designing an accessible kitchen with Symphony and Adam Thomas 37:38 – Bathroom layouts, grab rails, plywood backing & real-life usability 45:10 – MMC vs traditional build, piling costs and below-ground surprises 52:00 – Working with builders: level thresholds, ramps and practical site issues 59:40 – Heating choices, underfloor vs radiators and keeping corridors clear 01:02:20 – Selling the bungalows & creating a bespoke combined home 01:07:35 – Key learnings, what Allan would do differently & marketing future schemes 01:12:20 – How to connect with Allan & closing thoughts

Accessible housing, Accessible bungalows, Single-storey homes, Ageing in place, Universal design, Part M, M4(2), M4(3), Inclusive design, Planning permission, Garden size standards, Developers, Property investors, Accessible kitchens, Wet rooms, Level access, Building costs, Piling, Small-scale development, Future-proof homes

Allan Craigen – Founder, Level One Developments 📞 07815 152693 🔗 Connect with Allan on LinkedIn (search: Allan Craigen)

Thanks for listening to Accessible Housing Matters UK!

If you’re inspired to learn more or want to explore working with me on creating accessible, inclusive, and beautiful properties, I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Visit www.veredusproperty.com 📩 Email me directly at info@veredusproperty.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ruthhunter

Together, we can make accessible housing the standard, not the exception. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about inclusive living!