Striking plans to enclose an outdoor swimming pool and extend a sports hall at a school have been unveiled.

St Edmund’s in Canterbury - which charges up to £12,200 a term - says it is currently “very difficult to operate a full sporting curriculum” due to its large pool not being shielded from the weather.

Architects have therefore drawn up proposals for a major refurbishment of the sport facilities on offer at the site in St Thomas Hill.

The plans, which involve a two-storey extension to the sports hall and a new walkway bridge, have been submitted to the city council for consideration.

If approved, the elevated walkway - shrouded in wooden cladding - will link the enclosed pool with new changing rooms.

It will ensure pupils getting ready for swimming lessons do not have to go outside.

A viewing gallery above the sports hall is also set to be installed.

Developers say the timber cladding will provide a “natural feel” and state the walkway will be a “striking feature” when illuminated at night.

It will be built in five stages, with the walkway being the final addition to the scheme.

Bosses at the school, which dates back to 1751, says the indoor pool will also be available for community use.

A planning document compiled by OSG Architecture on behalf of the private school reads: “The pool is heated but cannot be run all year round and the cost of heating the pool even through the summer is very high.

“The limited usage makes it very difficult for the school to operate a full sporting curriculum without needing to use other faculties in the area.” “The intention is to provide a solid structure over the pool to enable the school to utilise the facility all year round giving greater flexibility from an education point of view and to widen their ability to rent the space out for community use throughout the whole year.”

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