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Pollution Control - Inspection and Regulation

Pollution from industrial processes

Certain industrial activities known as 'prescribed processes' have the potential to emit significant amounts of air pollution. These activities are required to obtain a permit issued by the Council who will inspect them regularly to ensure compliance with conditions needed to minimize pollution emissions.

Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) is a regulatory regime for controlling pollution from certain industrial activities. From 6th April 2008 it has been incorporated into the framework of the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR).

The industrial activities caught by the PPC element of the Environmental Permitting Regulations are split into three categories and are regulated by two different regulators:

    Part A(1) - The Environment Agency

The Environment Agency regulates what is considered to be the most polluting of the three industrial categories, A(1) activities. These are regulated for multi-media emissions such as air, land, water and other environmental considerations.

    Part A(2) and Part B - Local Authorities

Basildon Council regulates the comparatively less polluting Part A(2) activities (e.g. glass manufacturing, foundries etc.) and the lesser polluting Part B activities (e.g. concrete batching, vehicle re-spraying, dry cleaning etc.). Part B activities are regulated for emissions to air only.

All three systems require the operators of certain industrial processes and other installations to obtain a permit to operate.

If a permit is granted it will contain a number of conditions the operator has to comply with and they will be subject to regular inspection by the regulator.  For a Part B process i.e. those regulated by the Local Authority, these conditions control air pollution and may involve the operator installing abatement equipment and introducing monitoring systems.

Applying for a permit

You can apply and pay for a permit online, through the Business Link website, by selecting one of the links below:

Alternatively you can download an application form for a part B application from the related downloads section of this page. This form can be printed and returned to us at the address above.

The charges for prescribed processes are set by DEFRA and are updated each year. Charges for the current year are available from the DEFRA website at DEFRA PPC fees and charges (opens new window)  Please ensure the appropriate fee is included with your application.

Online applications will be acknowledged by email. We will aim to process your application within 90 working days. If this is not possible, we will inform you and provide an explanation as to the reason.

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.

Tacit consent does not apply to this application because it is considered to be in the public interest for the local authority to process your application before it is granted. If you have not received a response by the end of the target completion period please contact us at the address above.

If you require any further information or have a complaint about this process please contact us, using the details below.