All new public buildings will be forced to have separate male and female toilets, Tory ministers announced today.
The change - set to apply to public office buildings, schools, hospitals and entertainment - was agreed by ministers last month.
A former consultation will now be launched this Autumn, which will also consider the design of unisex cubicles to “maximise privacy”.
New buildings will be allowed to have gender neutral or universal toilets, but only if there is room after building single-sex ones.
It is the government’s latest intervention in the fractious debate over how to meet transgender people’s rights and needs.
Campaigners for trans rights say gender-neutral toilets can reassure trans and non-binary people who fear discrimination.
But the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “The rise in ‘gender neutral’ toilets raised safety concerns from women who feel they are losing privacy and being unfairly disadvantaged.
“The approach will mean women, who may need to use facilities more often for example because of pregnancy and sanitary needs, have appropriate facilities.”
The changes will be made through changes to buildings regulation and guidance, and will not affect rules on disabled toilets, the government said.
Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch described it as a “common sense approach”.
She added: “It is vital that women feel safe and comfortable when using public facilities, and that their needs are respected.
“These changes will ensure that separate toilets for men and women are preserved at the same time as providing universal toilets for those that want them.”
