Dear Owner/Occupier,*

Article 4 Direction for Hainault Business Park

At a Cabinet meeting on 10 September 2020 Members approved the principle of serving an Article 4 Direction at Hainault Business Park to protect it from the cumulative effect of existing permitted development rights, and newly introduced Government legislation for permitted rights for demolition, which together presents a level of development pressure on Hainault Business Park that has not previously existed. To continue its commitment to the promotion of business and employment on the business park, the Council believes the use of an Article 4 Direction is justified to protect key business activities.

The Council will serve both an Immediate and Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction on the land at Hainault Business Park on 18 January 2021, under Article 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.

The Article 4 Directions will allow the Council to better control proposals for development on Hainault Business Park through the planning application process, without which the council’s inability to otherwise control development would have a significant adverse impact on the proper planning of the area.

The proposed Article 4 Directions for Hainault Business Park will remove the following permitted development rights:

• changes of use from offices, distribution, and light industry, to residential use (office to residential prior approvals)
• the demolition of buildings in use as offices, research and development of products and processes, light industry, permitted under Class ZA, (effective from 1 September 2020)

If you have already begun or undertaken work on your property your work is not affected by the Article 4 Direction.

Please be aware that by serving an Immediate Article 4 Direction permitted development rights for office to residential prior approvals will be withdrawn immediately, as an Immediate Article 4 Direction becomes effective the day it is served (18 January 2021), but must be confirmed to be made permanent. A Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction will become effective one-year after being served (18 January 2022), if confirmed by the Council. A decision will be taken on which Article 4 Direction to confirm at the Cabinet meeting for 18 May 2021.

The Council has arranged a six-week consultation period between 18 January and 1 March 2021. During the consultation period you can access copies of the Notices of Making, the Article 4 Directions, and a map showing the area where the Directions are being served, on the Council’s Planning website at:

https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/planning-policy consultations/.

The Council is interested in hearing your views, and your responses can be emailed to dpd@redbridge.gov.uk, or you can complete an online survey on the Redbridge Consultation Hub at https://engagement.redbridge.gov.uk/. You can also submit comments by post to the Planning Policy Team, Floor 11 Front, Lynton House, 255-259, High Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1NY. The closing date for comments is Monday 1 March 2021. All comments will be reported to Cabinet on 18 May 2021.

Yours sincerely

Ewan Coke
Senior Planning Officer

*If you are renting your property you may need to forward this letter to your landlord.