Ramped-up

I am writing in response to the letter from Mrs Doris Duff (Letter, 9 April), concerning access to her local Lloyds Pharmacy store.

I would like to apologise for the inconvenience that a lack of a ramp to the entrance of Mrs Duff’s local pharmacy has caused.

We aim to ensure Lloyds Pharmacy stores are accessible to all customers – but clearly in this case we have not met this standard.

I have spoken with Mrs Duff to discuss her needs and arrangements have been made to install a grab rail and temporary ramp to the pharmacy entrance as soon as possible.

We are also pursuing a planning application to install a permanent ramp to the pharmacy.

The decision was originally made not to apply for planning permission for a permanent ramp, as it was thought that the layout wouldn’t meet current regulations.

However, having sought advice from our planning consultants, it seems that we may be able to work within the regulations to install a permanent ramp. We will keep Mrs Duff informed of the progress in seeking permission to install this permanent ramp.

Gary Kennedy

Lloyds Pharmacy