Permitted development rights let certain work go ahead without a planning application. They come from the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. Article 4 of that Order lets a council switch specific rights off in a specific place — a street, a conservation area, a town centre.
Why a shop owner should care
For a shopfront itself the effect is often small, because replacing a shopfront usually needs permission anyway. Where Article 4 directions bite for shops is in the rights that come with the building: changing the use of a ground-floor unit, converting it or the floors above to flats, or altering the frontage of a mixed-use building. Many town-centre directions exist precisely to stop shop units being converted to housing without an application.
How to find out if one applies
- Look on the council’s planning website for “Article 4 directions”. Most publish a list with a map or boundary plan for each.
- Read the direction itself, not just its title — it lists exactly which rights are removed and where.
- If you are buying or leasing, the local land charges search will show directions affecting the property.
Immediate and non-immediate directions
Some directions take effect straight away and are confirmed later; others are advertised first and only bite after a notice period. Either way, once in force, the removed rights are gone until the council cancels the direction.
Is there a fee?
In England, a planning application needed only because an Article 4 direction removed the permitted development right does not attract the usual application fee. The application is still assessed in the normal way.
Plain-English summary, not legal advice. The direction’s own wording is what counts.