One Stop Lift For Dingle One Stop Shop

Leading platform lift supplier, Movement Management, has recently installed one of its most popular models at a new facility for Liverpool City Council. The Companion Prestige platform lift is located in the councils latest innovation, its One Stop Shop service in Dingle.

As part of its policy to improve services for the people of Liverpool, the city council is committed to opening fourteen One Stop Shops by 2004. The One Stop Shop is a community-based building, which allows the residents of Liverpool to speak to a service advisor face to face rather than over the telephone. It is a place where people can request a city council service, make general enquiries, access information and carry out any other council business. One Stop Shop employees are specially trained to resolve, wherever possible, customer queries on the spot. Every One Stop Shop has an information kiosk for obtaining information on the full range of council services. One particularly innovative feature is the inclusion of a video conferencing facility. This enables people to contact city centre based council officers for more in depth discussions on particular services.

The Dingle facility occupies two floors of a local office building. The city council is committed to meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) by ensuring equality of access to its facilities and services. The Prestige lift is located in the One Stop Shop foyer. It provides access for wheel chair users and other less able people to the first floor facilities.

The platform lift installed at Dingle has a travel height of 2.7 metres, although it can be specified for travel up to nine metres. It is designed with adjacent entry doors at the ground and first floor levels. Other door options include walk through or same side. The integral shaft is fitted with glazed panels on two sides. All other surfaces are finished in white. The result is a lift, which blends in well with the surrounding decor.

The Prestige is specifically designed for use by the less able and is an ideal solution to compliance with the DDA. It is fully compliant with Part M of the UK Building Regulations and is CE marked as a declaration of conformity with the EC Machinery and Eletromagnetic compatibility (EMC) directives. This is a guarantee that the product is fit for the purpose for which it is sold and that reasonable precautions are taken to protect the user against injury.

Ged Stockton, the Dingle site manager says: "As the Companion Prestige is a fully self-contained unit and does not require a wall or structure for support, it was ideal for the One Stop Shop. Instead of having to dig a pit, Movement Management were able to install the lift by supplying a ramp so practically no building work was required. The installation of the lift was extremely simple and straightforward. We are extremely pleased with the overall result and the performance of the lift. It is making a positive difference to the elderly, and less mobile, who use our services."