Environmental permits

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 fall into three categories Part A(1), Part A(2) and Part B and include:

  • energy - burning fuel, gasification, liquification 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

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 control activities which cause emissions to air.

The permit your business requires depends on the specific processes involved and resulting emissions.

Depending upon the category your business falls into, your permits will granted by either the Environment Agency or by us (the regulator):

  • 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 us, 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

Eligibility Criteria     
The application must be made by the operator of the regulated facility.

Applications must be made on the form that we provide and must include specified information (varying on the operation). A fee may also be payable.

If further information is required we will notify you and you must provide this information or the application will be deemed to be withdrawn.

For waste operations a licence will not be granted unless any required planning permission had first been granted.

Regulation Summary
A summary of the regulation relating to this licence

Application Evaluation Process
We will pay regard to the protection of the environment taken as a whole by, in particular, preventing or, where that is not practicable, reducing emissions into the air, water and land.

We may inform the public of the application and must consider any representations.