Article 4 Directions
An Article 4 Direction can be made under Article 4 of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. An Article 4 Direction is applied to a particular area in order to restrict the work that can be carried out without planning permission. Where an Article 4 Direction is in place, planning permission will be required to carry out the relevant work as specified within the Direction.
Proposed planning changes: Consultation on a newly made non-immediate Article 4 Direction
The Council is consulting businesses and landowners in its 13 designated town centres across the borough, residents, and other interested parties, on the introduction of a ‘non-immediate Article 4 Direction.’
Use Class E to residential in the borough’s 13 designated town centres
In response to growing concerns about an increasing number of shops, offices and other commercial buildings in the borough’s town centres being converted to residential dwellings under permitted development rights, the Council has taken a decision to introduce a non-immediate Article 4 Direction that will bring this type of development into planning control. This does not mean that this type of development is unacceptable; it simply means that a planning application will be required where the Council will then consider these forms of development against the Development Plan. Where applications are considered as acceptable, planning permission would be granted and appropriate conditions imposed as needed.
Consultation on the Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction is open to the public for comment for three months between 6 November 2024 and 5 February 2025.
You can email your views to SP>eam@bexley.gov.uk with ‘Article 4 Direction’ in the subject line or write to: Strategic Planning, London Borough of Bexley at the address shown below. Any correspondence concerning the Article 4 Direction consultation must be received by 5pm on 5 February 2025.
Notices of the Direction have been put up across the borough’s town centres. The Article 4 Direction, including maps defining the areas covered, is available in an accessible format below. The Direction and all supporting documents are also available as PDFs below. Paper copies of the Direction and supporting documents can be viewed during normal office hours at London Borough of Bexley Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT and in borough libraries.
The non-immediate Article 4 Direction relates to a change of use from a commercial, business and service use (falling within Class E) to a residential use (falling within Class C3) and removes permitted development rights for this type of development (under Class MA, Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015). The Article 4 Direction is proposed to come into force in November 2025, no sooner than 12 months from the date that notice of making the direction is published, subject to the consideration of consultation comments received, the views of the Secretary of State and subsequent confirmation by the Council.
Article 4 Direction in an accessible format
Article 4 Direction signed and sealed with maps
Public notice of making and Article 4 Direction
Decision report to make a non-immediate Article 4 Direction
Decision report appendix A town centre assessments
Decision report appendix B background evidence
All Article 4 Directions currently in effect within Bexley are listed below.
Article 4 Directions in force
Conservation Area Article 4 Directions
HMO Article 4 Direction
In response to growing issues around small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the borough, the Council made a borough-wide Article 4 Direction which came into force on 24 September 2017.
The Direction relates to development comprising of a change of use from a use falling within Class C3 (dwellinghouse) to a use falling within Class C4 (house in multiple occupation), and removes Permitted Development rights for this type of development.
Planning permission will therefore be required for change of use from Class C3 to Class C4. The Article 4 Direction applies to the whole of the London Borough of Bexley.
Non-immediate Article 4 Directions made but not yet in force
Use Class E to residential in industrial locations
In response to growing issues around the loss of commercial floorspace in the borough’s designated industrial locations, the Council made an non-immediate Article 4 Direction on 22 November 2023. The Article 4 Direction is proposed to come into force on 1 December 2024, subject to the consideration of consultation comments received, the views of the Secretary of State and subsequent confirmation by the Council.
The Direction relates to a change of use from a commercial, business and service use (falling within Class E) to a residential use (falling within Class C3) and removes permitted development rights for this type of development (under Class MA, Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015).
Planning permission will therefore be needed for this type of development. The Article 4 Direction applies to designated industrial land within London Borough of Bexley, as illustrated on the maps that form part of the Direction.
Consultation has closed. Archived information can be found on the Council’s consultation webpage.