GPDO Article 2 Wales – where the Order applies

Article 2 is short, but it answers an important starting question: where does the Welsh GPDO apply?

The original wording says that the 1995 Order applies to all land in England and Wales. Since 15th April 2015 that needs reading with the later English legislation. The 2015 GPDO revoked the 1995 Order so far as it applied to England, leaving the 1995 Order as the basis of the Welsh permitted development system.

Article 2(1) – the GPDO applies across Wales

For present-day purposes, Article 2(1) means that the 1995 GPDO applies to land throughout Wales unless a more specific development order changes the position for particular land.

The important exception is a special development order, usually shortened to SDO. Where land is subject to an SDO, the GPDO applies only to the extent, and with any modifications, specified by that special order.

An SDO is not an Article 4 direction. An Article 4 direction removes or restricts permitted development rights. Under section 59 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a development order can itself grant planning permission, and a special development order may apply only to specified land or descriptions of land.

Wales still uses this mechanism. One modern example is the special development order for the border control post at Parc Cybi, Holyhead.

Article 2(2) – advertisements sit outside the GPDO permission

Article 2(2) deals with advertisements. It says the GPDO does not apply to planning permission which is deemed to be granted under section 222 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

That is because advertisements have their own control regime. Where displaying an advertisement in accordance with the relevant advertisement regulations involves development of land, section 222 deals with the planning permission for that development rather than the GPDO doing the job twice.

So Article 2(2) is not saying that advertisements are free of planning control. It is separating the GPDO from the distinct advertisement-consent system.

Why the legislation still says England and Wales

If you read the original 1995 Order, Article 2(1) still says “England and Wales”. That was correct when the Order was made.

England later consolidated its permitted development rules into the separate Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. Article 8 of that Order revoked the 1995 Order and its listed amendments only so far as they applied to England.

This is a good example of why the Welsh GPDO cannot safely be understood by reading the 1995 text in isolation. Some of the current legal position comes from legislation sitting outside the words printed on the original page.

The Planning (Wales) Act 2026 has not replaced this yet

Wales now has a major new consolidation statute, the Planning (Wales) Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 27th April 2026. However, only a small number of introductory and machinery provisions are currently in force.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that the existing planning framework continues until the relevant provisions and supporting subordinate legislation are commenced. The new framework is currently anticipated to come into force in October 2027.

Planning Geek will therefore continue to explain the operative 1995 GPDO for Wales, while keeping the 2026 Act transition under review.

Has Article 2 itself been amended?

Our check of the Welsh GPDO amendment trail has not identified a later Welsh instrument changing the wording of Article 2 itself. The important modern change is that the 1995 Order ceased to apply in England when the separate 2015 English Order came into force.

As with every page in this Welsh GPDO build, we will keep the amendment record under review as the wider consolidation work continues.

Next: Article 3 and the permission itself

Article 3 is where the GPDO really starts to bite. It is the provision that grants planning permission for the classes of development in Schedule 2, subject to the exceptions, limitations and conditions in the Order.

Article 3 is considerably more complicated than Article 2 and has been amended repeatedly. Continue to GPDO Article 3 Wales for the current Welsh position and the wider restrictions which sit above the individual Schedule 2 Classes.

Article 2 legislation

The wording below is the current revised Article 2 text. The 1995 Order was revoked in England from 15th April 2015, but it continues to operate in Wales as amended.

View the current revised Article 2 on legislation.gov.uk or read the Planning Geek copy of the 1995 Order as originally made.

Welsh GPDO Articles

The Articles are the legal framework for the General Permitted Development Order in Wales. Use the links below to move between the current Articles or return to the Welsh GPDO section.

Legal check: 6th September 2026