Environmental Permitting

This page provides details about environmental permits, when they are required and how to obtain them.

An environmental permit is required for certain industrial processes in order to control the harm they could cause to the environment.

This is a requirement of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999.

The industrial processes covered by permitting are those which may result in harmful emissions to the environment if they are not properly controlled.

The responsibilities for regulation are shared between local councils and the Environment Agency, depending on the type and scale of the different processes, and when they issue a permit, the council or Environment Agency is confirming they are happy that the risk to harm is properly controlled.

The classes for permitting

There are three classes for permitting:

1. Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) - this covers installations which tend to be the biggest or have the greatest potential for harmful emissions. They are known as Part A1 and they are regulated by the Environment Agency.
2. Local Authority Integrated Pollution and Prevention and Control (LA - IPPC) - this covers installations that emit potentially less harmful emissions than Part A1. They are called Part A2 installations and are regulated by local councils.
3. Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC) - this covers industrial installations where active control of emissions to the air is required. Processes covered include foundries, large vehicle paint shops, large scale coating processes and petrol stations. They are called Part B installations and are regulated by local councils.