Peterborough school to install three new outdoor dining canopies to increase social distancing

The plans, submitted by Queen Katharine Academy in Walton, have been given the go ahead by council planners.

The school has said that its need for space has been increased by the ongoing pandemic and current guidelines.

The three all-weather canopies will be placed on existing areas of the playground and will enhance access to the school’s existing buildings. They will each be 10m long x 9m wide.

The application states: “The school is looking to expand the breakout space available to the students with the provision of a canopy that is of sustainable and attractive design, which will provide covered seating areas and will be usable in all weathers.

“This requirement for additional space has been exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic and the guidelines regarding social distancing.

“This proposal will provide the school with enhanced dining, seating and breakout space for its students, which will be suitable for use in all weathers, especially important in the current climate. The proposed structures will also enhance the fundamental uses of the areas and create safe external spaces for students.”

The granting of the application comes as the directors of public health and of education in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have recommended that secondary schools reintroduce measures to stop the spread of Covid-19, in response to concern about rising cases among young people in the city.

The application can be found in full on the council’s planning portal, using reference 21/01168/FUL.

Peterborough secondary schools advised to re-introduce mask wearing and social distancing to stop spread of COVID