Regulation summary

You must have an environmental permit if you operate a regulated facility in England or Wales. A summary of the regulations relating to this permit can viewed here.

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 can be applied for from the Environment Agency or your local authority, in our case, Runnymede Borough Council, (the regulator) depending upon the category the listed activity 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

Eligibility Criteria

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.

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will be notified by the regulator and they must provide this information or the application will be deemed to be withdrawn.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 had 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 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.

Will Tacit Consent Apply?

No. It is in the public interest that the Council must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period of submitting your application, please contact us. You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or use the contact details below.

Apply online

Apply for a B Environmental Permit

Apply for an A2 Environmental Permit

Tell us about a change to your existing circumstances

Application Fee for 1st April 2010 - 31st March 2011

The fees are set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) each year and are collected by the appropriate permit issuing authority, the Council or the Environment Agency.

View appropriate charges

Failed Application Redress / Right of Appeal

Please contact the Health and Pollution Team at Runnymede Borough Council in the first instance.

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.

Licence Holder Redress / Right of Appeal

Please contact the Health and Pollution Team at Runnymede Borough Council 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.

Other Redress

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

Can I view a public register of licences?

Yes. To download a register of licences, please see here (Please note - this will be made available soon)

Where can I get further information?

Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA)

Environmental Industries Commission (EIC)

Environmental Services Associations (ESA)

Contact us

To find out more about environmental permitting, within the Borough of Runnymede, please contact:

Health and Pollution Division, Runnymede Borough Council, Technical Services Department, Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 2AH.

Tel: 01932 425131 Fax: 01932 838384
Email: environmental.protection@runnymede.gov.uk