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.
Article 4 Directions in force
Use Class E to residential in the borough’s 13 designated town centres
Planning changes to control the change of use of buildings from commercial, business and service uses to residential within Bexley’s designated town centres in Bexley come into force on 10 December 2025. The introduction of the Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction follows a statutory public consultation that ran for a 13-week period between 6 November 2024 and 5 February 2025.
The changes have been introduced in response to growing local concerns about an increasing number of shops, offices and other commercial buildings in the borough’s town centres being converted into residential dwellings under permitted development rights.
The Article 4 Direction and supporting documents can be found in the links below.
The extent of the Article 4 Direction, as mapped, applies to selected existing buildings within the borough’s town centres (as indicated on the maps). Planning permission will therefore be required for changes of use from Class E to Class C3 under Schedule 2, Part 3, Class MA of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
The effect of the Direction is that permission granted by Part 3 of the Order shall not apply to the development specified above and such development shall not be carried out within the areas to which the Direction applies, unless planning permission is granted by the Council as the local planning authority.
Confirmed Article 4 Direction in an accessible format
Confirmed Article 4 Direction signed and sealed with maps
*The above 'Article 4 Direction signed and sealed with maps' in PDF format is not suitable for users of assistive technology. If you would like to understand any details about these maps, please email sp>eam@bexley.gov.uk
Use Class E to residential in industrial locations
Planning changes to manage conversion of commercial buildings to residential use
Planning changes to control the change of use of buildings from commercial, business and service to residential within designated industrial locations in Bexley come into force on 8 January 2025. The introduction of the Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction follows a statutory public consultation that ran for a 13-week period between 1 December 2023 and 29 February 2024.
The changes have been introduced in response to growing local concerns about an increasing number of offices and other commercial buildings in industrial sites in the borough being converted to residential dwellings under permitted development rights.
The Article 4 Direction and supporting documents can be found in the links below.
The extent of the Article 4 Direction, as mapped, applies to selected existing buildings within the borough’s designated industrial areas (as indicated on the maps). Planning permission will therefore be required for changes of use from Class E to Class C3 under Schedule 2, Part 3, Class MA of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
The effect of the Direction is that permission granted by Part 3 of the Order shall not apply to the development specified above and such development shall not be carried out within the areas to which the Direction applies, unless planning permission is granted by the Council as the local planning authority.
Article 4 class MA with maps (industrial areas) CONFIRMED (PDF)
Decision report to confirm an Article 4 direction (PDF)
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.