An Article 4 direction can remove the Class MA permitted-development right for specified commercial premises. A residential conversion that would otherwise use that right may then need a full planning application. The direction removes a route to permission; it does not automatically prohibit all conversion proposals. [1][2]
Check the right that has been removed
Directions identify particular permitted-development rights. A direction about small HMOs, conservation-area alterations or a different commercial-conversion class does not establish that Class MA is restricted. Read the schedule attached to the direction and identify the exact right relevant to your proposal. [1][3]
Also distinguish a direction being consulted on from one that is operative. The council's notice, confirmation decision, commencement date and any later modification should be read together. A proposed map is not necessarily the final boundary. [2]
Why the map matters
Tower Hamlets provides a useful example. Its Class E-to-C3 direction covers specified parts of the borough rather than every commercial property. The council records that it was confirmed on 1 August 2022, came into force on 18 August 2022, and was subsequently modified by the Secretary of State on 14 June 2023. The current boundary, not an earlier consultation map, is the relevant starting point. [2]
Camden also publishes directions by the land-use rights they affect. These official records are more useful than a general online list stating that a borough “has Article 4”. They allow the particular site and proposed change to be checked against the relevant instrument. [3]
An address-level checking procedure
- Establish the property boundary and the part of the building proposed for conversion. [1]
- Find the council's current Article 4 page and the direction referring to the proposed permitted-development class. [3][2]
- Compare the site with the final mapped boundary and read any address schedules or exclusions. [2]
- Check confirmation, commencement and subsequent modifications. [2]
- Record the conclusion with the application evidence, including the version of the map used. Where a boundary is unclear, ask the planning authority to clarify the specific site. [1][2]
What happens if Class MA is blocked?
The alternative is not simply the same prior-approval application with a different heading. A full planning application must address the relevant development-plan policies and other material considerations. For example, a council may ask for evidence concerning the loss of employment space or an existing community facility. [1][4]
Local marketing requirements should be established before starting a marketing exercise. Camden's published requirements illustrate how the evidence may differ according to the use being lost. Do not assume that a vacant property automatically passes that policy test. [4]
What Article 4 does not do
Removing Class MA does not itself stop a lawful switch between qualifying activities within Class E, because that is ordinarily not development. Nor does the absence of a direction establish that a building satisfies every Class MA eligibility and prior-approval requirement. These are separate checks. [1][5]
The draft replacement London Plan is also a separate policy process. Its 2026 consultation does not, by itself, create or remove an address-specific Article 4 direction. [6][1]