Smoking Shelters
Canopies & Shelters Ltd manufactures and installs made-to-measure smoking shelters for workplaces, hospitals, universities and hospitality venues across the UK. Each shelter gives smokers a designated, weather-protected area while keeping smoke away from doorways and non-smokers.
- Frame: powder-coated steel, any RAL colour
- Roof: 5mm or 8mm water-resistant polycarbonate (clear, opal or tinted), around 99% UV filtration
- Configurations: open-fronted, open-sided or wall-mounted, with optional glazed side screens
- Compliance: designed to keep at least 50% of walls open per the Health Act 2006
What is a smoking shelter?
A smoking shelter is a covered outdoor structure that gives staff and visitors a specific, weather-protected place to smoke away from a building's entrances and windows. It sits within a wider commercial canopy range and ranges from a small wall-mounted canopy to a larger free-standing shelter for a busy site.
We design each shelter around the site, the number of people using it and the finish the premises needs, from a simple open-fronted canopy to a structure with partial side screens and a seating rail. Every shelter we install is built to stay outside the workplace smoking law's definition of an enclosed space, which we cover in detail below.
Are smoking shelters a legal requirement?
The Health Act 2006 and the Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2007 do not force an employer to provide a smoking shelter, but they do ban smoking in any workplace structure that counts as enclosed or substantially enclosed. Where an employer chooses to allow smoking on site, the shelter itself has to meet that definition, and this is the answer most site managers are really after.
To stay outside the enclosed definition, a workplace smoking shelter needs at least 50% of its wall area open to the outside air, with no ceiling-height barrier closing off the remaining sides. We also site every shelter a sensible distance from doorways, windows and air intakes so smoke is not drawn back into the building, which is the second half of getting this right. Providing a compliant shelter, where smoking is permitted on site, sits within an employer's general welfare duty to staff and visitors, alongside the wider health and safety obligations that already apply to the premises.
What types of smoking shelter do we install?
Canopies & Shelters supplies and installs the following smoking shelter types: wall-mounted canopies that fix directly to an existing building, free-standing shelters for a position away from the wall, and either type can be specified with or without a seating rail and a built-in bin store. Every configuration keeps at least 50% of its wall area open, so the shelter stays outside the enclosed definition set out above whichever layout you choose.
A wall-mounted shelter suits a site with limited space or a fixed spot near a fire exit or yard wall, while a free-standing shelter works where the smoking area needs to sit further from doors and windows or in the middle of a courtyard. Both can carry a powder-coated steel frame in any RAL colour, a polycarbonate roof, and open or part-glazed sides depending on how much shelter from wind and rain the location needs.
How much does a smoking shelter cost?
A smoking shelter costs £1,500 to £6,000 installed, covering everything from a compact wall-mounted canopy for a handful of staff to a larger free-standing shelter with seating and a bin store for a busy site. These are indicative ranges to confirm at survey, not fixed prices, because the final figure depends on the size, the frame and roof specification, whether seating or a bin store is included, and the groundworks needed to fix the shelter.
Four things move the price most: the footprint and headcount the shelter needs to cover, whether it is wall-mounted or free-standing, the roof material and any side glazing, and the base or foundation the site requires. We quote every smoking shelter after checking the site and the number of users, and our waiting shelters sit in a similar price bracket for comparison.
| Smoking shelter type | Indicative installed cost | Main cost drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted canopy | £1,500 to £3,000 | size, roof material, wall fixing |
| Free-standing shelter | £2,500 to £5,000 | footprint, base, frame size |
| Shelter with seating and bin store | £3,500 to £6,000 | seating rail, bin store, glazing |
Indicative UK ranges to confirm at survey, installed and excluding any enabling works. Our work is quote-based; we do not sell fixed-price units.
Do smoking shelters need planning permission?
A smoking shelter on commercial, healthcare or education premises can often be installed without a full planning application, but this depends on its size, its position relative to a boundary or the building, and whether the site is listed or in a conservation area. Because a shelter sits outside the domestic permitted-development rules that apply to a house, it is worth checking before ordering rather than assuming it is exempt.
Most shelters also need to meet Building Regulations for structural stability, since they are permanent structures fixed to a foundation or an existing wall. We supply the drawings and dimensions your planning team or local authority needs to confirm the position, and we can flag early on anything about the size or siting that is likely to need a formal application.
How are smoking shelters installed?
We install smoking shelters with our own teams across England, Scotland and Wales in four stages: a site survey to confirm the position relative to doors, windows and air intakes, a CAD design and specification for sign-off, UK manufacture of the frame and roof, then the on-site fit. Most projects run from survey to a finished, ready-to-use shelter within a few weeks.
A wall-mounted shelter fixes to the existing building fabric, while a free-standing shelter is set on new foundations or a pad base sized to the frame. We work around a live site, whether that is a hospital, university campus or workplace, to keep disruption to staff and visitors low, and every shelter is checked on completion before we hand it over.
How long does a smoking shelter last?
A smoking shelter lasts 15 to 25 years, because the powder-coated steel frame resists corrosion from constant outdoor exposure and the polycarbonate roof carries a long-life 99% UV filter. The frame is the part built to last the full life of the structure, while the roof sheets are the element most likely to need attention over that time.
Routine care is limited to cleaning the roof and glazing, checking the fixings, and keeping the open sides clear so airflow is not restricted. Individual roof sheets or seals can be replaced without rebuilding the frame, and we re-clad and refurbish existing smoking shelters as well as installing new ones.
What are the benefits of a smoking shelter?
A smoking shelter gives a site a defined, weather-protected smoking area instead of staff and visitors gathering at a doorway, which keeps smoke away from the building and away from non-smokers passing by. It also gives management a clear, compliant answer to where smoking happens on site, rather than an informal spot that drifts closer to an entrance over time.
For a hospital or university the shelter keeps a consistent policy across a large campus with multiple buildings; for an office or industrial site it tidies up an external area that would otherwise collect litter and cigarette ends. Because the structure is fixed and engineered, it is a permanent, low-maintenance addition to the site rather than a temporary screen that needs replacing each year.
Why choose Canopies & Shelters for smoking shelters?
Canopies & Shelters is a UK manufacturer and installer of smoking shelters and the wider commercial canopy range, so one company designs your shelter in-house, fabricates it in our own workshops and fits it with our own installation teams nationwide, from the site survey to the finished structure.
We work with hospitals, universities, offices, industrial sites and hospitality venues, and we build every shelter to keep at least 50% of its walls open and sited away from doors and windows, as set out earlier on this page. Every shelter is made to measure for the site, finished in any RAL colour, and delivered by our own labour and manufacture rather than a subcontracted flat-pack unit.
Health Act 2006 compliant
Open-fronted and half-open layouts keep at least 50% of the walls open, so the shelter stays outside the 'substantially enclosed' definition for workplaces.
Powder-coated steel frame
Durable steel framework finished in any RAL colour, built to withstand daily outdoor use and match the surrounding buildings.
Polycarbonate roof
5mm or 8mm water-resistant polycarbonate roofing that filters roughly 99% of UV, in clear, opal or tinted, keeping users dry and shaded.
Sized to your headcount
Shelters are designed around the number of people using them and the space available, from compact wall-mounted units to larger free-standing structures.
UK manufacture and install
Designed in-house, made in the UK and fitted by our own teams nationwide, with one point of responsibility throughout.
Smoking Shelters questions
Are smoking shelters a legal requirement?
No law forces an employer to provide a smoking shelter, but smoking is banned in any enclosed or substantially enclosed workplace structure. If you choose to allow smoking on site, the shelter itself must keep at least 50% of its wall area open under the Health Act 2006 and the Smoke-free Regulations 2007, and it should be sited away from doorways, windows and air intakes so smoke does not drift back inside.
How much does a smoking shelter cost?
A smoking shelter costs £1,500 to £6,000 installed, depending on whether it is wall-mounted or free-standing, its size, the roof and glazing specification, and whether seating or a bin store is included. These are indicative ranges to confirm at a site survey, because every shelter is quoted individually.
Does a smoking shelter have to be open-sided?
It needs at least 50% of its wall area open to stay outside the enclosed definition in the Health Act 2006. Within that rule we can add partial side screens, a seating rail or a bin store, so the shelter still gives more protection from wind and rain than a fully open canopy.
Do I need planning permission for a commercial smoking shelter?
Often not, but this depends on the shelter's size, its position on the site and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. We supply the drawings and dimensions you need to check with your local planning authority before installation.
Can the shelter be branded or colour-matched?
Yes. The steel frame is powder-coated in any RAL colour to match your buildings or brand, and the roof can be specified clear, opal or tinted in 5mm or 8mm polycarbonate.
How long does a smoking shelter take to install?
Most projects run from survey to a finished, ready-to-use shelter within a few weeks, depending on the design and any groundworks needed. We confirm the programme once the site survey and design are signed off.
Can you install a smoking shelter at a hospital or university?
Yes. We install smoking shelters across healthcare, education, office and industrial sites nationwide, and we site each one to suit a large campus with multiple buildings and entrances as well as a single-site workplace.
Get a smoking shelters quote
Tell us the sector, the span and the site. Our design team comes back with a drawing, a specification and a price, no obligation.