Environmental permitting - Pollution prevention and control Part A and Part B installations

• Apply for an environmental permit part A2
• Apply for an environmental permit part B

Licence summary

The Council is responsible for inspection and regulation of premises which have the potential to cause air pollution. These include activities such as vehicle re-spraying, dry cleaners and unloading of petrol at service stations.

In order to protect both the environment and local residents, emissions of pollutants from industrial sites are controlled through a system of permits and inspections under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. DEFRA is the controlling body and you can find more information on their booklet summarising environmental permitting DEFRA Environmental Permitting Booklet

There are three systems of permits. These are known as:

• Local Authority - Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (A2 installations)
• Local Authority Pollution Control (Part B installations) these are regulated by the Local Authority. Installations covered under Part B of the regulations are controlled for air emissions only.
• A1 installations are larger industrial processes which have the potential to pollute air, water (including discharges to sewers) and land and these are regulated by the Environment Agency.

Eligibility criteria

The following list summarizes the processes controlled by the local authority. This is a reduced list, for full details and copies of any process guidance notes or if you are not sure which process applies to you please contact us.

LAPPC process guidance (PG) notes

Combustion and incineration

• PG 1/3 (95) - Boilers and furnaces, 20-50 MW net rated thermal input (non-consolidated unofficial version with additional guidance AQ23 (04))
• PG 1/4 (95) - Gas turbines, 20-50 MW net thermal input (non consolidated unofficial version with additional guidance AQ24 (04))
• PG1/1 (04) - Waste oil and recovered oil burners less than 0.4MW
• PG1/02 (05) - Waste oil or recovered oil burners, 0.4-3 MW Net Rated Thermal Input
• PG5/2 (04) - Crematoria + various additional guidance (AQ) notes

Minerals sector

• PG 3/01 (04) - Blending, packing, loading, unloading and use of bulk cement
• PG 3/08 (04) - Quarry processes
• PG 3/16 (04) - Mobile crushing and screening

Petroleum, gas odorising and powder coating sector

1/14 (06) - Unloading of petrol into storage at petrol stations

Solvents sector

• 6/34a (06) - Original coating of road vehicles and trailers - revised October 2006
• 6/34b (06) - Respraying of road vehicles - revised October 2006
• AQ note amending PG6/35 (96) on Metal and other thermal spraying processes
• 6/46 (04) - Dry Cleaners (versions in Greek, Gudjurati, Turkish and Urdu).

Regulation summary

A summary of the regulation relating to this licence.

Application evaluation process

Once we receive your application form the Council will enter the details on its register. The register is open to inspection by the general public.

You will be contacted by a pollution control officer to arrange an inspection to ensure the installation is operating in accordance with the relevant process guidance note.

Permit installation timetable - decision process

Advertisement should not be placed until at least 2 weeks have elapsed from the date the application is made (mobile installations, petrol filling stations and dry cleaners are exempt)

1. Representations received from English Nature, other Local Authorities and the public will be considered by the Commercial Environmental Health Team. All representations received from the public must be considered within 28 days of the advertisement being published.
2. The Commercial Environmental Health Team will draft permit documents, making reference to any maps, etc. as necessary, and send a copy of draft permits to the applicant asking for their comments within a period determined by the Environmental Health Officer – this will normally be 21 days
3. The suggested time for dealing with a full application is 4 months.

Will tacit consent apply?

No. Registration will only be granted when the necessary inspection by an officer from the Local Authority has been carried out to ensure the installation is operating in accordance with the relevant process.

How to apply

Apply on-line

• Apply for an environmental permit part A2
• Apply for an environmental permit part B

It an offence to give information which you know is false

Apply by post

If you prefer to apply by post or in person you should contact the Commercial Environmental Health Team to discuss your requirements and the appropriate form, which can then be downloaded and, once completed, delivered to the Council with your application fee.

Fees and charges

Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations operators of industrial processes are charged an application fee for their permit. The scale of charges is set by DEFRA annually, after consultation with local authorities and stakeholders, and is designed to cover the regulatory and administrative costs to the regulator arising from each process.  

Your application cannot be processed unless the application fee is correct and enclosed. Download the fees calculation guidance.

Consumer complaint

In the first instance please contact the Commercial Environmental Health Team.

Trade associations

• Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA)
• Environmental Industries Commission (EIC)
• Environmental Services Associations (ESA)