An Article 4 Direction is made by the Council, as the local planning authority, to restrict certain development or a change of use of premises that would ordinarily be a permitted development not requiring a planning application. An Article 4 Direction does not in itself prevent development or prohibit any use; rather it means that a landowner is required to seek planning permission where in other circumstances, without such Direction, an application would not be necessary.

The case for making an Article 4 Direction has to be substantiated for good planning reasons. In Rother there are a number of such Directions covering a variety of developments or changes of use. These include:

• particular restrictions on external changes to houses in some of the outstanding Conservation Areas including Winchelsea and Rye – imposed to maintain the architectural character and quality of those areas.
• restrictions preventing the fencing off of open land or the creation of new field accesses in the countryside, in order prevent the sub-division of fields which are often historic in nature.
• in Bexhill town centre where there is a prohibition on converting dwellings to houses in multiple occupation to enable the Council to exercise control over the quality and density of development.
• in a coastal area at Fairlight Cove where certain minor householder developments such as extensions to dwellings are prohibited without planning permission, in order to reduce risks from unstable land

Advice on whether a property or area is covered by an Article 4 Direction can be found on the online mapping page.