There's still time to change the road you're on" Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin
Complete feasibility study for making Haytor Rocks DDA (DIsability Discrimination Act) compliant.
All available in pdf format (0.5 to 1mb files)
Background
Market Research
Site Issues
Accessibility Assessment
Solution
Full A1 Plan by Nick Childs architects (3mb)
Appendix 1 – Survey
Appendix 2 – Haytor Ways
Appendix 3 – Stairway to Heaven
Appendix 4 – Moor Ecology
High Res Image of Stairlift (tif 35mb)
press coverage
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | Stairlift plan for Dartmoor tor
Today
Programme
3/07/06 7:45 am
Edward
Stourton
An
artist wishes to install a 30 foot solar powered stairlift at Hay Tor Rocks,
one of the most popular Tors on Dartmoor. Tors of course are the rock-topped
hills which are such a characteristic of Dartmoor.
ES:
It’s Wimbledon time now
AM:
Well yes I think it’s perfectly serious.
The feature of Hay Tor Rocks is that it already has a set of steps that
were cut into it in the 1800s and all the stairlift is doing is actually making
those steps accessible to disabled people.
I always find it strange that the Disability Discrimination Act applies
to urban spaces and public buildings but doesn’t apply to natural features.
ES:
But the difference is precisely that isn’t it, that buildings are built by
humans and natural features are natural?
AM:
Well absolutely but that surely makes no difference. Hay Tor Rocks are actually used by tens of
thousands of people every year who climb it to take advantage of the fantastic
views – you can see all the way across to Portland Bill on a clear day, and
that sense of spiritual uplift you get when you’re up high I think should be
available to everybody.
ES:
Well yes but common sense in these things must play a part musn’t it, do we put
a lift up Ben Nevis?
AM:
Sure, I mean the main objections that people have come up with to this idea is
that it would somehow ruin the visual aspect of the Tor, but I mean if we can’t
develop things and create challenging and interesting structures in our
landscapes, if someone arbitrarily puts a landscape into stasis, then there’s
not going to be any history that we can actually leave to other people. You take Dartmoor and there’s been human
development there for about 3000 years: all the stone circles, all the
picturesque bridges are things people admire. If we can’t do that in a
contemporary sort of way we’ll have nothing to leave to future
generations.
ES:
Come back and tell us what the planning authority say when they’ve made their
minds up. Many thanks.
AM:
That’s great, thank you very much.
