Article 4 Directions

Key Employment Areas

Making of Article 4 direction to withdraw permitted development rights from commercial, business and service use (Class E) to residential use (Class C3), of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (as amended). 

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet approved the making of three Article 4 Directions on 15 July 2026. These Directions will remove the permitted development rights for a change of use from planning use Class E (commercial, business and service use) to Class C3 (dwelling house) in the strategic employment areas of:

  • Gadbrook Park, Northwich
  • Chester Business Park
  • Chester West / Sealand Industrial Estate

Following this decision, non-immediate Article 4 Directions were made by the Council on 30 July 2026. You can view the sealed Article 4 Directions, maps of the areas covered by the Directions, public notices and the supporting evidence on the consultation page:

The introduction of Article 4 Directions will allow the Council to assess, on a case by case basis, whether applications for the conversion of commercial premises to residential use are acceptable or not in planning terms. 

We invited comments on the Article 4 Directions between Thursday 6 August 2026 and Friday 18 September 2026. The Council will now take into account all representations received in deciding whether or not to confirm the Directions. 

You can use the interactive map below to check whether your property would be affected by the made Article 4 Directions. Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the right side of this page. 

Next steps

It is proposed that the Article 4 Directions shall come into force in August 2027, subject to the consideration of any representations received during the consultation period and the Directions being confirmed by the Council. 

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can provide an affordable type of housing for tenants looking for accommodation in an area, as well as contributing to the overall mix of housing types and tenures available. High concentrations of HMOs can cause an imbalance in communities, which can sometimes have a detrimental impact on neighbourhoods.

In certain areas in Chester high HMO numbers were affecting the balance of the community. For this reason, the Council has changed the planning rules relating to further proposed HMOs in theses areas. The change means that a planning application must be submitted when a family home (Use Class C3) is being converted into to a HMO occupied by three to six unrelated people (Use Class C4). This planning control is called an Article 4 Direction.

The introduction of an Article 4 Direction will allow the Council to assess, on a case by case basis, whether applications for the creation of new HMOs are acceptable or not in planning terms. The change will not affect existing HMOs, but will help to control the number of new HMOs created.

Garden Quarter (HMO) - direction came into force 8 July 2013

Newry Park (HMO) - direction came into force on 2 May 2016

King Street (HMO) - direction came into force 2 May 2016

Article 4 Directions map