Planning permission for school and commercial canopies
When you need consent, when you probably do not, and who to ask.
By Diane Dreha, Director Updated
Many canopies go in without a full planning application, but it depends on the site, its use and the size of the structure. On schools and hospitals a canopy is often permitted development; on other commercial sites it turns on the building and its planning use, so always confirm with your local planning authority before you order.
Do school canopies need planning permission?
Often not, because Class M of Part 7 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 permits the erection, extension or alteration of a school, college, university or hospital building, subject to limits. The main limits are:
- the added footprint must not exceed the greater of 25% of the existing buildings’ footprint or 250 square metres;
- a new building must be no more than 5 metres high within 10 metres of the boundary (6 metres elsewhere), and an extension must not exceed the height of the existing building within 10 metres of the boundary;
- the work must be at least 5 metres from the boundary with land used as a dwelling, and must not reduce the space available for outdoor play or a playing field;
- it cannot be within the curtilage of a listed building.
Whether your canopy fits inside these limits is for your local planning authority to confirm. Where it does not, a full application is needed.
What about commercial canopies?
On commercial sites there is no single answer: permitted-development rights differ for shops, offices, industrial premises and other uses, and are often more limited than the schools and hospitals right. A canopy over a loading bay on an industrial estate and one over a shopfront in a conservation area are treated very differently. Check the position for your building and use with the local planning authority, and the Planning Portal is a good starting point.
Do canopies need building regulations approval?
Some are exempt. Schedule 2 to the Building Regulations 2010 lists exempt work, and Class VII covers a ground-level extension in the form of a covered yard, covered way or a carport open on at least two sides, where the floor area is under 30 square metres. Many open-sided canopies fall within that, but a larger structure, or one that encloses space, can bring the work within the regulations. Confirm the position with building control.
Listed buildings and conservation areas
Permitted-development rights are restricted around listed buildings and in conservation areas, and separate listed building consent may be needed for work to or near a listed structure. Treat these sites as needing consent until the local planning authority tells you otherwise.
Sources
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 7, Class M (legislation.gov.uk)
- Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 2 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Planning Portal
This guide is general information, not planning or legal advice. Rules change and depend on your site, so confirm the position with your local planning authority, building control or the relevant funding body before you order.