A walkway canopy is an excellent, cost-effective and quick way of linking two buildings to improve accessibility and allow students, customers and employees to keep warm, dry and safe while going about their day.
The powder-coated aluminium structures are ideal for hard to reach and awkward spaces such as courtyards and narrow passages because you don’t need cranes or heavy machinery associated with traditional building works.
In fact, our modular design means the walkway canopy can be installed with minimal fuss to your day-to-day activities.
As such businesses, leisure centres and education providers from nurseries to universities throughout the UK favour our walkway canopies as well as our modular designs and accessories like solar panels and side walls. They can also enhance customer experience and employee comfort, offering shelter from the rain or intense sunlight.
A walkway canopy will cost from £350 to £1000 plus per square metre though this will depend on the size required and what kind of accessories you choose according to your budget.
One of the benefits of choosing Spaceshade® canopies is they can be customised easily with solar panels to help reduce energy costs and help organisations move towards net zero, something the government wants us to do by 2050.
Walkway canopies can be installed with built-in solar panels or standard rail-mounted types. Best of all, they can be installed along with the walkway or retrofitted at a later date, helping organisations balance their budgets at a time of financial constraint.
Over the long term, the solar panels can help to reduce your carbon footprint and generate your own renewable energy in an unstable energy market.
Adding sidewalls and doors are a great way of creating a weatherproof and safe environment for students and staff, and can also provide a physical barrier between areas.
Sidewalls are made from durable safety glass, tough polycarbonate or aluminium. Glass and polycarbonate are a popular choice because they allow light in.
If you choose glass or polycarbonate, you may want install motorised retractable blinds which can be rolled up out of the way when they’re not needed.
We can also supply overhead LED lighting for dark winter days and evenings to keep staff, customers and students feeling safe as well as creating a cosy space during bad weather.
Our walkway canopies are designed to last for around 25 years or more. They are extremely durable and corrosion free, and contain concealed gutters and downpipes which are low maintenance.
The short answer is yes, you probably will need planning permission because the structure is a permanent addition to the building, so we recommend you ask your local planning authority to seek consent before work starts.
However, for schools you may not need planning permission because it may come under permitted development. In this case, the walkway is limited to anything less than 5 metres tall, located more than 5 metres from the site boundary, and less than 100 square metre or 25 per cent of the floor area of the building, (whichever is less).
The great news is that our team are experts when it comes to planning permission and can help you discover whether you need consent. Indeed, our experts will project manage the whole journey from discovering if you need planning permission, groundworks, installation, surfacing and any electrical work.
For more information on planning permission, go to our blog - Do I Need Planning Permission For a Covered Walkway?