Regulation of industrial processes

Do I need a Licence?

An environmental permit is required 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, 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

Listed activities are divided into three categories: Part A(1), Part A(2) and Part B.

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.

Permits are available from the Environment Agency or your local authority (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

Applications must be made on the form provided by the regulator, or online and must include specified information which will vary depending on the operation.

A fee will be payable for all new applications.

If further information is required the applicant will be notified by the regulator and they must provide this information or the application will be deemed to be withdrawn.

Who should apply?

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.

How do I apply?

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/environmentalpermits

Enfield Council Environmental Health Team should be contacted regarding any proposed A2 or Part B activities

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.

What happens to my application when it is submitted?

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.

How long will it take to process my application?

It will take up to four months (three months for applications for Dry Cleaners or Waste Oil Burners) from receipt of a complete and correct application to the authority, although the Council will consider applications as quickly as possible.

Will my licence be deemed granted if I do not hear from the licensing authority in the specified time period?

No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact it.

Apply on-line

You can do this online here if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or use the contact details below.

All applications forms for the various processes are available through the link above

Forms to download, print, and post.

If you wish to download, print, complete and post your application from please contact the local authority to obtain the forms.

Local Authority Contact Details.

London Borough of Enfield ,

Environmental Health

PO Box 57

Civic Centre

Silver Street

Enfield

EN1 3XH

Tel: 020 8379 1000

Fax: 020 8379  5120

Email: environmental.health@enfield.gov.uk 

What can I do if my application is not granted?

An applicant who is refused an environmental permit may appeal to the appropriate authority. In England the appropriate authority is the Secretary of State and in Wales are the Welsh Ministers. Appeals must be lodged no later than six months from the date of the decision.

Please contact the London Borough of Enfield in the first instance.

What can a licence holder do if the licence is not granted in the terms it was applied for?

If an application to vary, transfer or surrender an environmental permit has been refused or if the applicant objects to conditions imposed on the environmental permit they may appeal to the appropriate authority.

Appeals must be lodged in relation to a regulator initiated variation, a suspension notice or an enforcement notice, not later than two months from the date of the variation or notice and in any other case not later than six months from the date of the decision.

What can the public do about the licence decision?

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK , Consumer Direct will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

What are the other means of redress about the operation of licences?

Compensation maybe payable in relation to conditions affecting certain interests in land.

Appeals contact details

Appeals against permit conditions should be directed to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under Regulation 31 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007.

Appeals relating to installations should be received by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs no later than six months from the date of the decision (date on the bottom of the permit).

The address is as follows:

The Planning Inspectorate

Environment Team

Room 4/04 - Kite Wing

Temple Quay House

2 The Square

Temple Quay

Bristol BS1 6EA

Tel: 0117 372 8812

Fax: 0117 372 6093

An appeal must contain the following information

·        written notice of the appeal;

·        a statement of the grounds of appeal;

·        a statement indicating whether the appellant wishes the appeal to be dealt with by written representations procedure or a hearing - a hearing must be held if either the appellant or enforcing authority requests this, or if the Planning Inspector or the Secretary of State decides to hold one.

·        a copy of any relevant application;

·        a copy of any relevant permit;

·        a copy of any relevant correspondence between the appellant and the regulator; and

·        a copy of any decision or notice, which is the subject matter of the appeal.

  At the same time, the notice of the appeal and documents must be sent to the Council, and the person making the appeal should inform the Secretary of State that this has been done.

Please note, appeals do not stop the conditions coming into effect.  On determining an appeal against one or more conditions, the Act allows the Secretary of State in addition to quash any of the other conditions not subject to the appeal and to direct the local authority either to vary any of these other conditions or to add new conditions.

Guidance on the appeal procedures is contained in the Secretary of States 'General Guidance Manual on Policy and Procedures for A2 and B Installations' available from Defra publications, ISBN No. 0-85521-028-1.

Other sources of information:

http://www.feta.co.uk/

http://www.eic-uk.co.uk/main.cfm

http://www.esauk.org/

Where can I access a public register of these licences?

The Public Register can be accessed in hard copy at Enfield Civic Centre, Environmental Health Department, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm