Article 4 Directions

An Article 4 Direction is part of planning legislation that allows the council to remove permitted development rights, including changes of use from an area or a particular property, in certain limited situations where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of an area.

Under the Town and Country Planning Act, an Article 4 Direction can withdraw or restrict permitted development rights on specific properties.  Permitted development rights allow homeowners to make certain minor changes to their property, like replacing windows or doors, without needing full planning permission.

Local authorities introduce Article 4 directions to protect the character or function of an area. Common reasons include:

• Preserving historic or architectural character, especially in conservation areas
• Managing changes of use
• Controlling development in sensitive locations

An Article 4 Direction does not prevent the development to which it applies, but instead requires that planning permission is first obtained from the council for that development.

Download a list of Article 4 Directions (.csv).

You can use the following Web Feature Service (WFS) to view Article 4 Directions spatially using Geographical Information System (GIS) software (this data is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0): Article 4 Direction Areas