In order to prevent pollution, industrial processes that use or emit certain substances are controlled under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 & Environmental Permitting (England and Wales Regulations) 2010.
Our role in the regime is to issue permits which set controls and emission standards to minimise pollution from certain industrial activities. Once a permit has been issued we routinely inspect the activity, and those with a higher pollution potential are inspected more frequently. If a company breaches the conditions we set in the permit we can take enforcement action which may lead to prosecution.
Anyone operating an activity that is listed in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 requires a permit. The industrial activities covered by the regulations are very wide ranging and are split into three categories, depending on their size: Part A1, Part A2 or Part B installations.
A1 activities
A2 activities
We undertake the inspection and regulation of all part A2 activities within the district. In Shropshire these activities include galvanisers and surface treatment. The Part A2 activities regime is known as Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC).
A1 and A2 industries have pollution controls to protect the environment from emissions to air, water (including discharges to sewer) and land, including any other activities that may have an environmental impact, hence the term ‘integrated pollution prevention and control’.
Part B activities
Part B activities are considered unlikely to cause pollution to land or water, and are only regulated for emissions to air, and include activities ranging from dry cleaners and petrol stations to roadstone coating plants and crematoria. The Part B activities regime is known as Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC).
Mobile installations: Part A(2) and B mobile units such as stone crushers are regulated by us if their head office or principal place of business is located within the jurisdiction of Shropshire Council. Operators of these units are required to inform us of their location. As before, Part A(1) mobile units are regulated by the Environment Agency.
Public register
We maintain a register of all industrial sites in Shropshire which have been granted a permit to operate under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.
Permit application
Anyone wanting to operate an A1 activity needs to apply to the Environment Agency, and anyone wishing to operate a Part A2 or Part B activity must submit an application to us with the appropriate fee. The permit application is then considered, with reference being made to government guidance to determine whether to issue or refuse the permit application. If a permit is issued, it will include conditions which set down how the pollution will be minimised.
It's the operator's responsibility to determine whether the regulations apply to their activity, and, if so, whether it is a Part A1, A2 or Part B activity. Operators should satisfy themselves that they comply with the law.
Regulated activities
Regulated 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
- Other – manufacturing paper, pulp and board, treating timber products, coating, treating textiles and printing, manufacturing new tyres
Further guidance