You must have an environmental permit if you operate a regulated facility in England or Wales.
A regulated facility includes:
- installations or mobile plants carrying out listed activities
- waste operations
- waste mobile plant
- mining waste operations
Listed activities include:
- energy – burning fuel, gasification, liquefaction and refining activities
- metals – manufacturing and processing metals
- minerals – manufacturing lime, cement, ceramics or glass
- chemicals – manufacturing chemicals, pharmaceuticals or explosives, storing chemicals in bulk
- waste – incinerating waste, operating landfills, recovering waste
- solvents – using solvents
- other – manufacturing paper, pulp and board, treating timber products, coating, treating textiles and printing, manufacturing new tyres, intensive pig and poultry farming
Listed activities are divided into 3 categories: Part A(1), Part A(2) and Part B:
Part A permits
Part A permits control activities with a range of environmental impacts, including:
- emissions to air, land and water
- energy efficiency
- waste reduction
- raw materials consumption
- noise, vibration and heat
- accident prevention
Part B permits
Part B permits control activities which cause emissions to air.
The permit your business requires depends on the specific processes involved and resulting emissions.
Request a permit
Permits are available from the Environment Agency or ourselves (the regulator) depending upon the category your business falls within:
- part A(1) installations or mobile plants are regulated by the Environment Agency
- part A(2) and Part B installations or mobile plants are regulated by the local authority, except waste operations carried out at part B installations which are regulated by the Environment Agency
- waste operations or waste mobile plant carried on other than at an installation, or by Part A or Part B mobile plants, are regulated by the Environment Agency
- mining waste operations are regulated by the Environment Agency
To apply for a permit or for more information, please call us on 01723 232323. Ask to speak to Environmental Health about an environmental permit.