Fifth Inclusive Environment Recognition for HMRC

CIC has awarded HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) ‘Inclusive Environments Recognition’ for their application of the CIC'S Essential Principles for creating accessible and inclusive environments at their Stratford Regional Centre at 14 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, , London. This is HMRC’s fifth recognition at project level for phase one Government Hubs. Their other recognised projects include Ty William Morgan - Cardiff -, Queen Elizabeth House - Edinburgh, Erskine House – Belfast and the new Government Hub at 3 Glass Wharf – Bristol.

CIC’s ‘Inclusive Environments Recognition’ has a two-stage approach. The first of these recognises those organisations that are following the Essentials Principles Guide and honours them with a certificate valid for a five-year period, which HMRC was awarded in 2018. The second stage acknowledges individual buildings or projects undertaken by organisations that have already received recognition at an organisational level from CIC.

The Essential Principles Guide for Clients, Developers and Contractors was launched in 2018. In order to for projects to be considered for recognition from CIC, organisations must submit the following evidence to show that they support the six essential principles:

1. Appointment of an Inclusive Environmental Champion at Project Level
2. Evidence that your Inclusive Design Strategy has been incorporated within the project brief and project budget
3. An example of how the project procurement process has addressed inclusive design
4. Evidence of the use of Access and Inclusive Design expertise and of consultation with diverse users
5. Evidence of monitoring and appraisal of completed projects to assess outcomes and successes in creating accessible and inclusive environments
6. List of any constraints that have prevented implementation of your Inclusive Design Strategy for example physical constraints of an existing building

Colin Cassé, HMRC’s Director of Estates and Locations Programme, said; “We are delighted that Stratford Regional Centre is the fifth of our locations to achieve Inclusive Environments Recognition. The ongoing support of CIC and our commitment to engaging with building users and learning lessons from our earlier sites, is key to the development of HMRC’s Locations Programme. As colleagues return to our new offices after a period of home working we are excited that so many people will now be able to experience our inclusive and accessible workspaces.

CIC Inclusive Environments Champion Tony Burton said of HMRC’s latest recognised project; “We are delighted to award HMRC their fifth Inclusive Environments Recognition at project Level. Their continued commitment to producing truly inclusive places is exemplar and we look forward to seeing the future projects they have in development.”

If you would like any advice about the CIC Inclusive Environments Recognition Scheme please contact Liz Drummond at Ldrummond@cic.org.uk