Environmental permits for pollution prevention and control

Certain commercial activities such as respraying vehicles, dry cleaning or making furniture need an environmental permit issued by the council.

The need for an environmental permit may depend on the type and amount of substances you use during the activity, so check with us if you’re unsure.

It’s against the law to operate a relevant commercial activity without the correct environmental permit. Operating without one is an offence under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 and may result in a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 5 years.

There are separate forms for dry cleaning activities. For all other activities requiring an environmental permit, you can use this page to learn more and access relevant forms.

 

About environmental permits

For heavy industry (or waste) installations, which are classified as part A(1) you need an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency. To check what types of industrial processes are categorised as heavy, visit GOV.UK – A1 installations: environmental permits.

For part A(2) and B processes you need an environmental permit issued by your local council. If you’re not sure which permit you need after checking below, contact us.

Part A(2) processes

These are medium risk industrial processes, including:

  • glass-making
  • galvanising
  • rendering
  • ceramics
  • roadstone coating

Part B processes

Part B processes have the potential to cause air pollution and include:

  • vehicle respraying
  • furniture manufacture
  • unloading of petrol at petrol stations
  • dry cleaning
  • concrete batching

Apply for a permit

To apply for an environmental permit for a part A(2) or part B process, you need to:

  • complete the relevant form
  • write a cheque for the appropriate fee to the London Borough of Hackney
  • send us the completed form and cheque together

We’ll then consider your application and will issue a permit in accordance with government regulations and guidance. We will inspect sites issued with an environmental permit to check that they comply with the conditions of their permit.

Read the instructions on the front of the relevant form carefully before you start to complete it. We are unable to process incomplete forms and this will result in delays.

Transfer a permit

If the ownership of an industrial process changes, the environmental permit will need to be transferred to the new owners.

Transfers may be for the whole installation, or for one or more parts of it. You will need to:

  • complete the relevant form
  • write a cheque for the appropriate fee to the London Borough of Hackney
  • send us the completed form and cheque together

Failure to apply for the transfer of an environmental permit is an offence under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 and may result in a fine and / or imprisonment for up to 5 years.

You must submit applications for the transfer of an environmental permit in a timely manner. Extra fees might apply in such cases.

Change the conditions of a permit

Complete and submit the relevant form:

Surrender a permit

You can apply to give up your permit. Complete and submit the relevant forms:

Until a permit has been transferred or surrendered you are the legal holder of the permit and any breach of the permit conditions is your responsibility. We may take legal proceedings against you for non-compliance with your environmental permit.

Timescale for a decision

Applications for permits, variations and transfers will be determined in accordance with the timescales below:

Guidance notes

There are guidance notes for specific industrial activities, and general activities at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Register of permits

Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, the Regulator has a duty to maintain a public register.

The following register of permitted sites forms part of the public register for Hackney:

If you need access to further information contact us by email.

Legislation

Responsibility for local air pollution control (LAPC) to all local authorities in England and Wales was introduced by the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

LAPC and the integrated pollution control (IPC) regime were replaced by The Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (the PPC regulations), introduced under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999.

In 2008, the PPC Regulations were replaced by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (the EP regulations), bringing together the regulation of processes previously covered by the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Regulations and the Waste Management Licensing (WML) Regulations under one system.

The current EP regulations are The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

See our air quality action plan for more details on how we are improving air quality across the borough.

Page updated on: 14 June 2024

Land, Air, Water

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