The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010

CHAPTER 2 Grant of an environmental permit

Grant of an environmental permit

13.—(1) On the application of an operator, the regulator may grant the operator a permit (an “environmental permit”) authorising—

(a) the operation of a regulated facility; and

(b) that operator as the person authorised to operate that regulated facility.

(2) Regulation 17 applies in relation to the grant of a single permit authorising the operation of more than one regulated facility by the same operator.

(3) Part 1 of Schedule 5 applies in relation to an application for the grant of an environmental permit.

Content and form of an environmental permit

14.—(1) An environmental permit must specify—

(a) the regulated facility whose operation it authorises; and

(b) the operator of that regulated facility.

(2) An environmental permit that authorises the operation of a regulated facility (“regulated facility A”) need not specify any regulated facility of another class that is carried on as part of the operation of regulated facility A.

(3) An environmental permit may be in electronic form.

(4) An environmental permit must include a map, plan or other description of the site showing the geographical extent of the site of the regulated facility.

(5) But if there is more than one regulated facility on the site, the map, plan or other description need show only the combined extent of all the facilities.

(6) Paragraphs (4) and (5) do not apply to an environmental permit authorising—

(a) the operation of mobile plant; or

(b) the carrying on of a radioactive substances activity described in paragraph 5(5) of Part 2 of Schedule 23.

Conditions in relation to certain land

15.—(1) Conditions in an environmental permit may require the operator to carry out works or do other things in relation to land which the operator is not entitled to do without obtaining the consent of another person.

(2) If an environmental permit contains such a condition, the person whose consent is required must grant the operator such rights as are necessary to enable the operator to comply with the condition.

(3) Part 2 of Schedule 5 applies where such rights are granted.

Mobile plant operating on the site of another regulated facility: conflict of permit conditions

16.  If—

(a) an environmental permit (“permit A”) authorises the operation of mobile plant on the site of another regulated facility the operation of which is authorised under a separate environmental permit (“permit B”); and

(b) there is an inconsistency between the requirements imposed by permit A and those imposed by permit B,

the requirements imposed by permit B prevail.

Single site permits etc.

17.—(1) Except as otherwise provided by this regulation, a regulator may not authorise the operation of more than one regulated facility under a single environmental permit.

(2) The regulator may authorise, under a single environmental permit, the operation by the same operator—

(a) of more than one mobile plant;

(b) of more than one standard facility (other than a standard facility to which the IPPC Directive applies); or

(c) subject to paragraph (3) and (4), of more than one regulated facility on the same site.

(3) If one of the regulated facilities mentioned in paragraph (2)(c) is a radioactive substances activity described in paragraph 5(5) of Part 2 of Schedule 23, the permit may authorise the operation of that regulated facility on more than one site.

(4) If a groundwater activity is carried on as part of a radioactive substances activity—

(a) the regulator must authorise the carrying on of the groundwater activity under the same environmental permit that authorises the carrying on of the radioactive substances activity; and

(b) a separate permit must not be granted in relation to the groundwater activity.

Consolidation of an environmental permit

18.—(1) Paragraph (2) applies if the same operator is authorised by more than one environmental permit to operate—

(a) more than one mobile plant;

(b) more than one standard facility, not being a standard facility to which the IPPC Directive applies; or

(c) more than one regulated facility on the same site.

(2) The regulator may replace the environmental permits (“old permits”) with a consolidated environmental permit—

(a) applying to the same regulated facilities; and

(b) subject to the same conditions that applied to the old permits, but varied as the regulator thinks fit.

(3) The regulator may replace a consolidated environmental permit (“old permit”) with 2 or more environmental permits (“new permits”).

(4) Each of the new permits is subject to whichever conditions of the old permit are relevant, varied as the regulator thinks fit.

(5) The regulator may replace a single environmental permit (“old permit”) which has been varied with a consolidated environmental permit subject to the same conditions that applied to the old permit.

(6) A variation made by a regulator under this regulation—

(a) is taken to be a regulator-initiated variation under regulation 20(1); and

(b) may only be made in accordance with regulation 20.

(7) Paragraphs 17, 18 and 19 of Part 1 of Schedule 5 apply in relation to the decision to make a regulator-initiated variation and the notification of such a decision.

Subsistence of an environmental permit

19.  Once granted an environmental permit continues in force until—

(a) it is revoked in whole in accordance with regulation 22;

(b) it is surrendered in whole in accordance with—

(i) regulation 24, or

(ii) regulation 25 and Part 1 of Schedule 5; or

(c) it is replaced with a consolidated permit in accordance with—

(i) regulation 18(2),

(ii) regulation 22(5),

(iii) paragraph 19(2) of Part 1 of Schedule 5.