I WRITE to highlight an instance which shows what a charade the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is at times.

A new sandwich shop has opened on The Pavement. Handy, I thought, right opposite my work.

Being in a wheelchair, I eagerly awaited the reopening, fully expecting that the property would be made accessible, along the lines that Bakers Oven and Pizza Hut have done so well just a few yards away.

The shop reopened - with the stepped access remaining as before.

I spoke to the new franchisee and he was amazed why I should be querying this. He'd ploughed £65,000 into the refurbishment and even installed a disabled toilet and the whole interior was specifically on one level with sloped access to the loo areas.

Fine, I said, but you can't get in to the building in the first place! He said he'd had the council down who had OK'd all his work.

When I spoke to the planning department and building regulations, they said they had not addressed this issue because the owner had not requested approval for access, just the interior alterations. Their representative said they didn't have the resources to suggest or insist that they applied by the DDA legislation.

All they had to do was to "sign off" the work he proposed.

Surely such departments need to be at least drawing such issues to the attention of shop owners/service providers?

I bet they insisted that they comply with health and hygiene regulations, and I'm sure they'd have had something to say if the exterior decor or signage had not been to their liking.

Graeme Rudd,

Kerver Lane,

Dunnington,

York.

Updated: 10:23 Monday, June 27, 2005