Your business may require an environmental permit (England and Wales) or a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit (Northern Ireland and Scotland) from your environmental regulator or local council. For example, you will need a permit if your business has a production capacity above a certain level or if you use certain hazardous substances.
There are different categories of permit:
- England and Wales: Part A(1), Part A(2) or Part B environmental permit
- Northern Ireland: Part A, Part B or Part C PPC permit
- Scotland: Part A or Part B PPC permit.
NetRegs only provides detailed guidance for businesses that require Part B or C permits.
PPC Part A activities
Examples of activities that PPC Part A regulates include:
- Manufacturing ceramic products by firing in kilns, where the kiln production capacity exceeds 75 tonnes per day, or the kiln capacity exceeds 4m³ and the setting density exceeds 300 kg/m³.
- Manufacturing glass in a plant with a melting capacity of more than 20 tonnes per day.
- Manufacturing glass (fibre).
- Manufacturing glass frit or enamel frit where the total quantity of these substances manufactured in any 12 month period is likely to be 100 tonnes or more. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, this includes the use of glass frit or enamel frit in any activity related to its manufacture.
- Producing or grinding cement clinker.
- Producing lime in kilns, or other furnaces, with a production capacity exceeding 50 tonnes per day.
- Producing lime where your process is likely to involve the heating in any 12 month period of 5,000 tonnes or more of: calcium carbonate, calcium magnesium carbonate or an aggregate of both.
PPC Part B activities (England, Scotland and Wales)
Examples of activities that PPC Part B regulates in England, Scotland and Wales include:
- Manufacturing heavy clay goods or refractory material by firing in kilns, where the kiln production capacity is less than 75 tonnes per day, or you carry out vapour glazing of earthenware or clay with salts.
- Manufacturing glass, where you have the capacity to make 5,000 tonnes or more in any period of 12 months, unless your process falls within the classification for Part A.
- Manufacturing glass products, where lead or lead compounds are used, unless your process falls within the classification for Part A.
- Manufacturing glass frit or enamel frit and use it in any activity related to its manufacture, unless the process falls within the classification for Part A.
- Grading or screening quarry dust.
- Blending or using cement in bulk other than at a construction site.
- Crushing, grinding or other ways of reducing the size reduction of bricks, tiles or concrete, using machinery designed for this purpose.
- Using gypsum that is a by-product of another activity, and your process includes the crushing, grinding or other ways of reducing the size of gypsum, or grading, screening or heating gypsum.
- Burning any fuel in a boiler or furnace with a net rated thermal input of between 20 MW or more but less than 50 MW.
PPC Part B and C activities (Northern Ireland)
Examples of activities that PPC Part B regulates in Northern Ireland include:
- manufacturing of heavy clay goods or refractory materials in kilns, where a reducing atmosphere is essential or where the kiln production capacity exceeds 50 tonnes per day, or
- carrying out vapour glazing earthenware or clay with salts.
- Firing heavy clay goods or refractory materials in a kiln not falling within Part A or Part B will require a permit under Part C.
- Using bulk cement at the same location as an activity prescribed under paragraph (a) of Part B of section 3.5 of schedule 1 to the PPC Regulations (NI) 2003 (quarry operations) will require a Part B permit; otherwise a Part C permit is required.
Examples of activities that are regulated under PPC Part C in Northern Ireland include:
- Crushing, grinding or other ways of reducing the size of bricks, tiles or concrete, using machinery designed for this purpose.
- Burning fuel in a boiler or furnace with a net rated thermal input of between 20 MW and 50 MW.
NetRegs does not provide comprehensive guidance for businesses that operate with a permit from their environmental regulator under:
- Part A(1) and Part A(2) of environmental permitting in England and Wales
- Part A of pollution prevention and control (PPC) in Northern Ireland and Scotland
- Integrated pollution control (IPC) in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
This is a complex area of regulation. For general information about the regulation of Part A sites, see the NetRegs environmental permits and PPC permits guidance.
This guidance does not provide a complete list of environmental permitting (England and Wales) or PPC (Northern Ireland and Scotland) activities. If you are unsure whether you are affected by environmental permitting or PPC, contact your environmental regulator or local council.
Contact your environmental regulator
Contact your local council
