Environmental Permitting and Associated Support Services
Our Environmental Permitting Application Service
Let our Consultants take the stress out of it and take care of everything.
Tailored Strategies for Managing Environmental Permits
Navigating environmental permits is essential for industries engaged in activities that may impact air, water, or land quality, increase flooding risks, or disrupt land drainage. Whether you manage a landfill, a waste operation, or a medium combustion plant, or engage in activities that discharge pollutants into waterways, obtaining a waste management license or environmental permit is crucial.
At EWS Consultancy Services, we offer comprehensive support for every stage of the environmental permit process. Whether you are initiating a new application, maintaining an existing permit, or seeking ongoing compliance assistance, our expert team is equipped to help you establish a robust management system for environmental permit compliance. We provide guidance, advice, and proactive management to ensure your monitoring and reporting obligations are met promptly. Our services also include conducting risk assessments, addressing compliance challenges, and assisting with the implementation of necessary remedial actions.
Streamlined Management of Environmental Permit Applications
EWS Consultancy Services is dedicated to supporting your business throughout the environmental permit application and management process. Our consultants ensure adherence to permit conditions and environmental monitoring requirements across various sectors, leveraging extensive technical expertise in waste management and environmental science. We offer a single point of contact who will become well-acquainted with your site and permit, facilitating regular compliance activities.
For clients lacking in-house resources, we can communicate with the Environment Agency and other regulatory bodies on your behalf, ensuring seamless compliance management.
We prioritize keeping your team informed about the latest legislation and its potential environmental impacts. Our approach includes compiling project reports, conducting audits, and performing risk assessments throughout your project lifecycle, ensuring you remain compliant and proactive in your environmental responsibilities.
Bespoke or Standard Rules Permit?
We can help with pre-screening of your business needs and site location to determine the correct type of Permit your business will need through to managing the application process and support with the various types of procedures that will need to be in place both at the application stage and before operations commence following the permit being granted.
Standard Rules Environmental Permits
A Standard Rules Permit is a predefined permit issued by the Environment Agency, specifically designed for common waste management activities under standardised conditions. These permits cater to operations that meet certain criteria, making them generally quicker and more cost-effective to obtain than bespoke permits. If your activities align with the requirements of a Standard Rules Permit, this option can simplify the permitting process, enabling you to begin or continue operations without unnecessary delays.
There are a wide range of Standard Rules Permits available and these can be found here. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/standard-rules-environmental-permitting
Bespoke Environmental Permit
A Bespoke Environmental Permit is a site-specific permit issued by the Environment Agency that is tailored to the particular waste management activities and location of a business. Unlike standard rules permits, which apply to common, low-risk activities, bespoke permits address activities that don’t fit the standard rules or pose higher environmental risks.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Customized to your needs:
A bespoke permit is essentially a customized permit that addresses the specific environmental risks and operational requirements of your waste management site.
Not covered by standard rules:
If your waste management activities don’t align with the conditions of a standard rules permit, or if your site has unique characteristics that require specific conditions, you’ll need a bespoke permit.
More detailed application:
Applying for a bespoke permit involves a more in-depth application process than a standard rules permit, including detailed risk assessments and a comprehensive management system to minimize potential environmental impacts.
Examples of bespoke permit scenarios:
- Landfills: All landfill permits are bespoke, requiring careful consideration of waste types, site conditions, and potential impacts.
- Part A(1) activities: These activities, as defined in the Environmental Permitting Regulations, require bespoke permits.
- Activities with high risks: Operations with a high potential for environmental impact, such as those involving hazardous waste or large-scale waste treatment, typically require bespoke permits.
Competence and Management Systems
Applicants for both Standard Rules and Bespoke Permits must demonstrate their competence as operators, including technical expertise and the implementation of a robust environmental management system.
Cost
Bespoke permits tend to have higher application fees than standard rules permits, reflecting the increased complexity and potential risks associated with the permitted activities.
Environmental Permit Variations
An environmental permit variation is a change to the conditions of an existing environmental permit. It allows operators to modify their permitted activities or operations while ensuring continued environmental protection. Essentially, it’s a way to update a permit to reflect changes in a business’s operations or address new circumstances.
Why is a variation needed?
Changes in operations
If a business alters its processes, adds new equipment, or modifies its activities, it may need to vary its permit to reflect these changes.
New environmental standards
If new environmental regulations or standards are introduced, a permit may need to be varied to ensure compliance.
Addressing permit issues
If there are errors or omissions in the existing permit, or if there are issues with the current conditions, a variation can be used to correct them.
Changes to site boundaries or activities
Extending a site, adding new activities, or changing the nature of existing activities may necessitate a variation.
Significant pollution events
In some cases, a permit may need to be varied after a significant pollution event to address the cause and prevent future occurrences.
Types of Variations
- Substantial: These are changes that may have significant impacts on the environment or human health. They often require public consultation.
- Normal: These are less significant changes that may not require the same level of public consultation.
- Administrative: These are minor changes, such as correcting errors in the permit or updating contact information.
Environmental Permit Surrender
An environmental permit surrender is the process of formally ending an environmental permit, either fully or partially, when the holder no longer needs it, or wants to reduce the area covered by the permit. It signifies that the operator is ceasing the permitted activities or reducing the scope of those activities on a specific site.
- Formal termination: Surrendering an environmental permit means formally ending the authorization to operate under that permit.
- Full vs. Partial: A permit can be surrendered in its entirety (full surrender) or for a specific part of the permitted activity or area (partial surrender).
- Operator-led: The surrender process is initiated by the permit holder, not the environmental regulator.
Why surrender a permit?
- Ceasing operations: If the permitted activity is permanently stopped, the operator must surrender the permit.
- Reducing scope: If the operator wants to reduce the area of land covered by the permit, they can surrender the permit for that specific area.
- Transferring the business: When selling a business, the permit needs to be surrendered by the current owner and a new permit applied for by the new owner.
The process
- Notification or application: The process for surrendering a permit depends on the type of permit and the regulations involved. Some permits can be surrendered through notification, while others require a formal application.
- Demonstrating site condition: For some permits, the operator needs to demonstrate that the site is in a satisfactory state and there is no remaining risk of pollution.
- Review and acceptance: The environmental regulator (like the Environment Agency or local authority) will review the surrender application and may request further information or remediation.
- Permit ceases to have effect: Once the surrender is accepted, the permit ceases to have effect, either fully or partially.
Environmental Management Systems
As part of your Environmental Permit Application a Environmental Management System (also known as a EMS) is required at the application stage and must be updated regularly to reflect your operations.
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a structured framework that helps organizations systematically manage their environmental impacts and improve their environmental performance. It provides a process for identifying, controlling, and reducing negative environmental impacts, while also promoting sustainability and compliance with environmental regulations.
Key aspects of an EMS
- Systematic Approach: An EMS provides a structured way to address environmental issues, ensuring a consistent and organized approach to environmental management.
- Impact Reduction: It helps organizations identify, assess, and minimize the negative environmental impacts of their activities, products, and services.
- Compliance: An EMS helps organizations meet environmental regulations and legal requirements.
- Continual Improvement: It fosters a culture of continuous improvement by regularly monitoring, evaluating, and refining environmental performance.
- Sustainability: An EMS promotes sustainable practices by encouraging the efficient use of resources and minimizing pollution.
- Stakeholder Engagement: It can improve communication and engagement with stakeholders on environmental issues.
- Cost Savings: By improving efficiency and reducing waste, an EMS can lead to cost savings for the organization.
Common elements of an EMS
- Environmental Policy: A statement of the organization’s commitment to environmental protection.
- Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Identifying the ways the organization’s activities affect the environment.
- Objectives and Targets: Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for environmental improvement.
- Environmental Management Programs: Developing and implementing plans to achieve the objectives and targets.
- Monitoring and Measurement: Tracking progress towards the objectives and targets.
- Management Review: Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the EMS and making necessary adjustments.
In essence, an EMS is a powerful tool for organizations to integrate environmental considerations into their operations, improve their environmental performance, and contribute to a more sustainable future.