Tub Access Panel?

I'm adding a full bath in my basement. The ideal place for the tub is on a side of the bathroom where one end of the tub would be against an exterior wall and the other end against the side of a staircase...neither would allow any access to the diverter or overflow drain if something were to go wrong or leak. I could move the tub to an area that will allow me to build in an acces panel, but will need to make the bathroom a bit larger...not a huge deal but wasn't really wanting to waste more sq.ft. on this bathroom. Should the access panel be a big concern? The other two bathrooms in my house are situated such that they allow access and have access panels, but I can't imagine this is the case in all situations. Any thoughts or suggestions???

Thanks - Jeff

If you finish the job and 2 months down the road need to access the valve area for some unexpected reason will you be happy or sad.

access panel

Do it right the first time and you will not need an access panel. There are hundreds of thousands, actually millions, of tubs without access panels. When a tub is back to back with another tub or shower there is no way to install a panel anyway.

Put an access in under the steps, HJ is right, there are lots done without, but if I had a choice, I certainly would have an access for the future. Access makes the most sense to me too.