You must have an environmental permit if you operate a regulated facility in England or Wales. If you're based in North West Leicestershire, you must therefore have a licence from us. 

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 are available from the Environment Agency or ourselves (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 us, 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.

A fee may be payable.

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will be notified by the regulator and they must provide this information or the application will be deemed to be withdrawn.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

Regulation summary

A summary of the regulation relating to this licence

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?

Yes - if you are applying to renew or extend a permit. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period

No - if you are applying for a new permit. It is in the public interest for us to process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact it.

You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or use the contact details on this page.

Apply online

Apply for a B Environmental Permit

Apply for an A2 Environmental Permit

Tell us about a change to your existing circumstances

Failed application redress

Please contact us first.

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

Please contact us first.

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.

Consumer complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery).

If that has not worked, contact the regulator of the installation in question or alternatively if you are located:

Other redress

Anyone suffering nuisance due to noise, smells or similar because of a commercial premises should contact our Environmental Protection team to see if they can help.

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

Trade associations

Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA)

Environmental Industries Commission (EIC)

Environmental Services Associations (ESA)

Public register

Public Register of Permitted Processes For information on the Public Register of Permitted preocesses please see the Environmental Permits Public Register Page.

UKCoal currently undertake particulate monitoring in Ravenstone in relation to its environmental permit at Longmoor Colliery. More in formation can be found on the Longmoor Colliery monitoring data page.

Defra returns

Each year we are required to report to DEFRA on the number of permit applications received, inspecteion conduted and cost accounting:

Last updated: Mon 21 April, 2014 @ 17:14