Environmental permits

Introduction

Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, local authorities must regulate certain types of factory and other activities such as dry cleaners. This is to reduce any pollution they may cause and, in particular, to help improve air quality. Businesses which operate these premises must have a permit.

These premises are known as "installations". Some are called 'Part B', and local authorities can only deal with air pollution from them. Many different sorts of pollution are controlled at 'Part A2' installations. The Part B regime is known as Local Air Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC), and the A2 regime as Local Authority Industrial Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC).

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 for printing or painting
Other - manufacturing timber products, coating, printing, manufacturing new tyres, intensive pig and poultry farming

How to apply for an environmental permit

Part A activities

Part A permits control activities with a range of environmental impacts, including:

Emissions to air, land and water
Energy efficiency
Waste reduction and minimisation
Noise
Accident prevention

Apply for an environmental permit part A2 (opens new window)
Part B activities

Part B permits control activities which cause emissions to air. The permit your business requires depends on the specific processes involved and resulting emissions. Permits are available from the Environment Agency or your local council (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 council, 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

Apply for an environmental permit part B (opens new window)
Further detailed descriptions of the listed activities can be found in Schedule 1 of the The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (opens new window).

For specific information on these controls see the Defra guidance on Local Authority Pollution Control (LAPC) regime (opens new window).

Eligibility to apply for an environmental permit

Applications must be made on the form provided, or online and must include specified information which will vary depending on the operation. If further information is required you will be notified by the regulator and you must provide this information or the application will be deemed to be withdrawn. The application must be from the operator of the regulated facility. For waste operations no licence will be granted unless any required planning permission had first been granted.

The cost of an environmental permit

There are a number of charges set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (opens new window) for applications and substantial changes to existing processes. There is also an annual subsistence fee. Charging levels for Local Air Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC - Part B) and Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC - A(2)) regimes.

How an environmental permit application is processed

The regulator 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. The regulator may inform the public of the application and must consider any representations. The application must be from the operator of the regulated facility and the regulator must be satisfied that they must operate the facility in accordance with the environmental permit.

Process application timescales

It can take up to five months to process an application for an environmental permit.

Are applications granted automatically?

No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application for an environmental permit before it can be granted. Once we have received your application we will confirm within 10 working days as to whether or not the application can be accepted. Once your application has been accepted it can take up to five months to process. If you have not heard from us within this time please contact us.

Reasons to contact us

Please contact us to:

view a copy of the register document;
complain about a permit holder;
if you are unhappy with conditions on a permit;
you wish to appeal if an application is refused;
notify us of any changes to an environmental permit
if, after the 5 months processing time, you have not heard from us

Please contact, or send all correspondence to:

Environmental Protection
Chichester District Council
East Pallant House
East Pallant
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1TY
Telephone: 01243 534598
Email: environmentalprotect@chichester.gov.uk

Current applications for Part A2 and Part B environmental permits

You can view our environmental permits register document:

Chichester DC Part B and A2 installations 01.04.2020 (Excel doc, 15 KB)

Please note that recent changes in the Environmental Permitting Regulations now requires that timber treatment activities with a daily production capacity of greater than 75 m³ must now apply for and obtain a Part A2 permit if operators want to continue operating after the 7 July 2015.