| The woman, a mother of two young children, said the provision for people pushing prams and those confined to a wheelchair for navigating between the floors is inadequate.
She said, “The ramp is closed on the ground floor. I was with my two babies in a pram, but you cannot use the escalators with a pram so the only option is to use the lift.
“But the lift is so slow and at such a busy time it just isn’t good enough. I was on the middle floor at one stage, but the lift was full and went straight past me. I had to end up going up the escalators to the top floor to get back to the ground floor.
“I think it is a fire hazard. What if someone, who is not familiar with the centre, is on the middle floor and the alarm suddenly goes off? They wouldn’t know which way to go.”
However, the centre management defended its position, saying the ground floor ramp is closed to allow for necessary alteration work to one of its units.
Centre manager John Morton said both building control and a fire safety officer passed the ramp closure.
“The ramp from one to two has been closed because of alteration work to one of the unit, but it has been passed by building control and a fire officer.
“There is ample provision in place for people with wheelchairs and prams. There is a lift that allows access to all floors and the ramp from floor two to three.”
He insisted that, despite the busy shopping period, there is ample provision for all centre users. |
