Do Schools Need Planning Permission for a Canopy or Covered Walkway?

"Do we need planning permission?" is usually the second question a school business manager asks us, straight after "how much will it cost?". It matters, because a planning application adds weeks to a project and can push an install out of the summer holiday.

For most schools in England the answer is no. There is a permitted development right written for school buildings, and a typical canopy or covered walkway sits well inside it. But it has limits, and a few of them catch schools out.

The short answer

In England, a canopy or covered walkway at a school can usually be built without a planning application under Class M of the permitted development rules (the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 7).

You still need permission if the site is within the curtilage of a listed building, if the work would take away a playing field, if it breaks the size, height or boundary limits below, or if your council has removed the right with an Article 4 direction.

These are the rules for England. Wales and Scotland have their own.

Why a canopy counts as a building

People are sometimes surprised that an open-sided canopy is treated as a building at all. In planning law, "building" includes any structure or erection, so a canopy or covered walkway is assessed in the same way as any other school building work. Class M covers "the erection, extension or alteration" of a school building, and that is what lets most canopies go ahead without an application.

The Class M limits

Limit	What it means for a canopy or walkway
Within the school's curtilage	The structure must be on the school's own site and used only for the school.
Footprint	All Class M work since 21 April 2021 together must not exceed the greater of 25% of the footprint of the school's buildings or 250 square metres.
Height, freestanding	No more than 5 metres high within 10 metres of the site boundary, and no more than 6 metres elsewhere.
Height, fixed to a building	No higher than the building it is fixed to, and within 10 metres of the boundary no higher than 5 metres either.
Next to homes	No part within 5 metres of the boundary of land used for housing.
Playing fields	Not allowed if it would stop land used as a playing field in the last five years being used as one.
Listed buildings	Not allowed within the curtilage of a listed building.

Footprint means the ground the structure covers. This is the limit that catches large schemes. A canopy roof covers ground in the same way a classroom does, so a 20 metre by 6 metre canopy uses 120 square metres of the allowance. If the school has added a modular classroom or another canopy since April 2021, those count too. Add them up before you assume you are inside the limit.

The 5 metre boundary rule only applies next to housing. If the canopy runs along a fence that backs onto gardens, measure from the nearest part of the structure, including the roof overhang, to that boundary.

Playing fields are protected for a reason. A canopy on a hard playground is straightforward. A canopy that takes a corner off a grass pitch used for games is a different matter and needs an application.

Conservation areas and other protected land

Class M still applies in a conservation area, a National Park or a National Landscape. The difference is that when you extend or alter an existing building on that land, the materials must look similar to the building's own. A freestanding canopy is not caught by that condition, but a walkway fixed to a Victorian school building in a conservation area should be specified with that in mind.

Separately, some councils have made Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights in particular areas. If one covers your school, you will need an application whatever the size of the canopy.

How to be certain before you order

If the canopy is clearly inside every limit, most schools simply keep a note of how it meets them, with the drawing, in case anyone asks later.

If it is close to a limit, or the site is unusual, you can apply to the council for a Lawful Development Certificate. It confirms in writing that the work does not need planning permission. It takes time, so build it into the programme, but it removes any doubt for governors and for the trust.

Planning and Building Regulations are separate questions. Check Building Regulations with your building control service, particularly for a walkway that joins two buildings.

A quick checklist

• Is the site within the curtilage of a listed building? If so, you need permission.
• Is any part on a playing field used in the last five years?
• Is any part within 5 metres of a boundary with housing?
• Is it under 5 metres high within 10 metres of the boundary, and under 6 metres elsewhere? If it is fixed to a building, is it no higher than that building?
• Add up all Class M work since 21 April 2021. Is it under the greater of 25% of the school's building footprint or 250 square metres?
• Has the council made an Article 4 direction covering the school?

If every answer points the right way, you are very likely inside Class M.

What we provide

Our free site survey produces dimensioned drawings showing the canopy's footprint, height and distance from each boundary, which is exactly what you need to check it against these limits, or to support a certificate or application if one is needed. I have been Managing Director since 2021. If a canopy is close to a limit, we can often adjust its size or position at the drawing stage so it stays inside.

For costs, read How Much Does a School Canopy Cost? and How Much Does a Covered Walkway Cost?. For the specification itself, see How to Specify a Covered Walkway for Your School, and for funding, How Schools Fund a Covered Walkway.

View school canopies and covered walkways or call 01704 547 321. If you would rather start on the form, request a quote.