The legal framework, briefly
The Equality Act 2010 consolidates earlier UK equality law and creates the "reasonable adjustments" duty: service providers, employers and landlords must adjust premises and services so disabled people are not put at substantial disadvantage. The duty is anticipatory — you must consider it before a disabled user arrives, not just respond after.
For premises, the duty is tested against "what is reasonable" given the size, resources and nature of the organisation. A small shop has lower reasonableness thresholds than a multi-national; both have the duty.
The technical detail of what makes a door accessible sits in BS 8300-2:2018 (buildings) and Approved Document M (new construction and major refurbs). Comply with these and you are in a strong defensible position on the door element of the Equality Act duty.
Opening force — under 30 Newtons
BS 8300 specifies a maximum opening force at the leading edge of the door of 30 N (about 3 kg of effort). Many commercial doors as installed open with 40–60 N because closers are set fast for security or because seals add resistance.
Fix: closer adjustment by an engineer with a force gauge. The closing-speed valve is wound back to reduce the work the user has to do against the closer's spring. On older closers where the spring is past its life, the closer is replaced with a current-spec unit set to BS 8300 force limits.
Cost: typically £60–£120 for an adjustment visit on existing healthy hardware. Closer replacement to bring a heavy door within spec: £220–£420.
Clear opening width — 800 mm minimum
A single leaf must give 800 mm of clear opening when fully open (measured between the face of the door and the inside of the frame on the strike side). Wheelchairs and mobility scooters need this minimum. Where the leaf is a pair, one leaf must alone meet the 800 mm clear — users should not have to wait for the second leaf to be opened.
Many older shopfronts have 750 mm or 780 mm clear — close, but non-compliant. The fix is usually frame modification or door replacement. This is the most expensive accessibility issue to remedy.
Hardware operable with a closed fist
Levers, push bars and pull handles must be operable by someone with restricted hand function. Round knobs, small grip-style handles and twist-action latches all fail this test — even an able-bodied person with gloves or a baby in their arms struggles with them.
Acceptable: full-length pull handles, lever handles 19 mm diameter or thicker, push bars, push pads, automatic operation. Lever handles must return to horizontal (not be allowed to droop) and must operate the latch with no more than 2 kg of force.
Fix: handle replacement. Typically £80–£180 per door with a stock lever set, more for designer specifications.
Thresholds — 15 mm maximum height
Thresholds at entrance doors must not exceed 15 mm above the surrounding floor level on either side. Higher thresholds are tripping hazards for ambulant users with mobility impairment and barriers for wheelchairs.
Many older shopfronts have 25–40 mm thresholds (especially aluminium ones with rubber seals). Fix: replace the threshold with a lower-profile commercial entrance threshold and re-set the door height. Cost: £150–£350 per door.
Where the floor levels on either side are different, a small ramp may be needed. This is a separate scope — the door work is the lower-profile threshold, the ramp work is a flooring contractor.
Automatic doors and the accessibility upgrade path
Where adjustments to manual hardware cannot bring a door within accessibility spec, automatic operation is the answer. A push-button or motion-sensor automatic door eliminates opening force, threshold and hardware operability issues in a single intervention.
Cost for retrofitting automatic operation to an existing aluminium-framed door: typically £3,500–£7,000 depending on the operator type (slide, swing, low-energy) and any electrics and controller work needed. BS EN 16005 safety compliance is required for any automatic door.
This is the "reasonable adjustment" of choice for premises that get heavy public footfall and where the existing door has multiple accessibility issues.