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.

All Article 4 Directions currently in effect within Bexley are listed below.

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.

Article 4 Direction restricting HMOs (PDF)