Environmental permit

Summary of requirements

You must have an environmental permit if you operate a regulated facility in Wandsworth.

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. For more information, see Pollution prevention and control.

Permits are available from the Environment Agency or the 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 Wandsworth 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

Eligibility criteria

Applications must be made on the relevant form, and must include information which is specified on the application form or online for each type of application.

A fee may be payable, depending on the type of application and type of regulated activity, as set out in the table of fees. 

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.

The application must be from the operator of the regulated facility.

For waste operations, no licence will be granted unless any required planning permission has first been granted.

Application evaluation process

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 must follow the General Guidance prescribed by the government (download the relevant extract). You may also download the General Guidance Manual on Policy and Procedures for A2 and B installations.

The regulator may inform the public of the application and must consider any representations.

There are specified timescales within which an application must be determined by the regulator, depending on the type of application. For details of determination periods see the General Guidance Manual on Policy and Procedures for A2 and B installations. For details of determination periods for Part A2 installations see subsection 6; for details of determination periods for Part B installations, see subsection 7.

The application must be submitted by the operator of the regulated facility and the regulator must be satisfied that they must operate the facility in accordance with the environmental permit.

What can I do if my permit is refused?

Please contact the council in the first instance at:

Email: EITeam@wandsworth.gov.uk

For more information about permits, see Pollution prevention and control.

An applicant who is refused an environmental permit may appeal to the Secretary of State. Appeals must be lodged no later than six months from the date of the decision.

What if I am unhappy with a condition imposed?

Please contact the Environmental Initiatives Team at Wandsworth Council (contact details above) in the first instance.

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 if I have a query about my permit? 

Please contact the Environmental Initiatives Team at Wandsworth Council (contact details above).

European services directive

If you think that the council has not complied with the European services directive by imposing requirements or conditions in respect of your application that are discriminatory, unfair or disproportionate, please contact:

Email: solvit@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Consumer complaints about a premises with environmental permits