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.

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