A local council direction removing specific Permitted Development rights. Most commonly applied to HMO conversions and office-to-residential. Check your address before assuming PD applies.
An Article 4 direction is a formal decision by a council to remove specified permitted development rights in a defined area. Where one applies, work that would normally need no application requires a full planning application instead — £548 for householder development, determined in eight weeks.
In London the three commonest reasons are protecting the character of a conservation area, controlling the loss of family housing to small HMOs by removing the permitted C3 to C4 change, and preventing the cumulative erosion of a uniform terrace through unregulated window, door and roof alterations.
Every authority publishes a policies map showing Article 4 boundaries, and most London boroughs allow an address search. Read the direction itself, not just the map: it names the specific classes withdrawn, and directions vary street by street within a single borough.
Assuming a direction is borough-wide is the frequent and expensive mistake. Some cover HMO conversions across the whole authority; others cover only front elevations in a handful of streets.
The route, not the outcome. Instead of building under permitted development or certifying it with a £274 Lawful Development Certificate, you make a £548 householder application with a 21-day neighbour consultation and an eight-week determination.
An Article 4 direction removes the automatic right, not the possibility of consent. A scheme that respects the character the direction protects is usually approvable.
Only in limited circumstances. Where an authority gives at least twelve months' notice before a direction takes effect, compensation is generally not payable, which is why most modern directions are made that way.
What is Article 4? in a Sutton context: London Borough of Sutton (Sutton Council) runs 17 conservation areas including the Carshalton Village Conservation Area and the Beddington Park Conservation Area, and there is no borough-wide Article 4 direction, so permitted development generally survives outside conservation areas. That decides how what is article 4? is handled: £548 and 8 weeks for a Sutton householder application, or £274 for the Lawful Development Certificate that records what is article 4? as lawful. The law behind what is article 4? sits in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the GPDO 2015 and the Building Regulations 2010.
| Legal basis | Article 4, GPDO 2015 |
|---|---|
| Effect | Withdraws named permitted development rights |
| Application fee once it applies | £548 |
| Determination | 8 weeks |
| Confirmation deadline, immediate directions | 6 months |
| Compensation | Generally not payable after 12 months' notice |
No. It means you must apply rather than relying on permitted development.
No. Internal alterations to an unlisted house are not development.
No, but a refusal made under it is appealable.
Pick a slot that suits you. No obligation and no sales pressure, just straight answers on your planning route.
