The Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

Surrender of licences

13.—(1) A licence may be surrendered by its holder to the Department but, in the case of a site licence, only if the Department accepts the surrender.

(2) The following provisions apply to the surrender and acceptance of the surrender of a site licence.

(3) The holder of a site licence who desires to surrender it shall make an application for that purpose to the Department on a form provided by the Department for the purpose, giving such information and accompanied by such evidence as the Department reasonably requires and accompanied by the fee payable under Article 15.

(4) On receiving an application for the surrender of a site licence the Department—

(a) shall inspect the land to which the licence relates, and

(b) may require the holder of the licence to furnish to it further information or further evidence.

(5) The Department shall determine whether it is likely or unlikely that the condition of the land, so far as that condition is the result of the use of the land for the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste (whether or not in pursuance of the licence), will cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.

(6) In determining the matters referred to in paragraph (5) the Department shall—

(a) consult with such body or person as the Department considers appropriate; and

(b) consider any representations which any such body or person makes to it during a period of 28 days from the date of the consultation or such longer period as the Department and the body or person agree in writing.

(7) If the Department is satisfied that the condition of the land is unlikely to cause the pollution or harm mentioned in paragraph (5), the Department shall accept the surrender of the licence; but otherwise the Department shall refuse to accept it.

(8) Where the surrender of a licence is accepted under this Article the Department shall issue to the applicant, with the notice of its determination, a certificate (a “certificate of completion”) stating that it is satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (7) and, on the issue of that certificate, the licence shall cease to have effect.

(9) If within the period of 3 months from the date on which the Department receives an application to surrender a licence, or within such longer period as the Department and the applicant may at any time agree in writing, the Department has neither issued a certificate of completion nor given notice to the applicant that the Department has refused the application, the Department shall be deemed to have refused the application.