Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, Volume 1: Dwellings.

Volume 1 supports requirements M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010. It took effect on 1 October 2015, with corrections and clarifications issued as the 2016 amendments. M4(1) Category 1 (visitable dwellings) is the mandatory baseline for new dwellings. M4(2) Category 2 (accessible and adaptable) and M4(3) Category 3 (wheelchair user) are optional requirements that only apply when a planning condition imposes them. A dwelling is assessed against one category only.

The guidance covers the approach route, private and communal entrances, circulation, WC and bathroom provision, and the height of switches and sockets. Each category has its own set of provisions, and M4(3) distinguishes between wheelchair adaptable and wheelchair accessible dwellings.

Volume 1 is a dimensional and spatial document. Its most direct link to wayfinding is the communal lift: where one is provided, the guidance asks for tactile storey identification at landings and tactile confirmation in the car, plus a visual signal that the lift is answering a call. Everything else a resident or visitor uses to find their way, such as block signs, floor directories, apartment numbering and car park signs, is shaped by BS 8300, the client's brief and fire safety requirements in Approved Document B.

That gap is where schemes go wrong. Access statements often say a block is designed to M4(2) and stop there, leaving the communal wayfinding unspecified until late in the programme.

In July 2022 the UK Government said it would make M4(2) the mandatory minimum for new homes in England, subject to further consultation on the technical details and changes to Volume 1. As of the date checked, that change had not been brought into force, so the 2015 edition with 2016 amendments remains the current guidance. Watch for a new edition.

Wales has its own Approved Document M covering dwellings and other buildings in one volume. Scotland covers dwellings within Section 4 of the domestic Technical Handbook. Northern Ireland covers dwellings in Sections 7 to 11 of Technical Booklet R. In Ireland, dwellings are covered in Section 3 of TGD M.