The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

Interpretation: general E+W

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the 1980 Act” means the Highways Act 1980 M1 ;

“the 1990 Act” means the Environmental Protection Act 1990 M2 ;

“the 1991 Act” means the Water Resources Act 1991 M3 ;

“the 1993 Act” means the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 M4 ;

“the 1995 Act” means the Environment Act 1995 M5 ;

“the 2007 Regulations” means the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 M6 ;

“the 2010 Regulations” means the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 M7 ;

“the Agency” means the Environment Agency;

“agricultural waste” means waste from premises used for agriculture within the meaning of the Agriculture Act 1947 M8 ;

“appropriate agency” means—

(a)

in relation to England, the Agency, and

(b)

in relation to Wales, the NRBW,

and references to the “area” of an appropriate agency are to be construed accordingly;

“appropriate authority” means—

(a)

in relation to England, the Secretary of State, and

(b)

in relation to Wales, the Welsh Ministers;

“Category A mining waste facility” means a mining waste facility that is classified as Category A under Article 9 of the Mining Waste Directive;

“class”, in relation to a regulated facility, is to be construed in accordance with regulation 8;

“coastal waters” has the meaning given in section 104 of the 1991 Act;

[F1 “combustion plant” means any technical apparatus in which fuels are oxidised in order to use the heat generated;]

“confidential information” means information that is commercially or industrially confidential in relation to any person;

“culvert” has the meaning given in paragraph 3(3) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“disposal”—

(a)

except in relation to a radioactive substances activity, has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 9;

(b)

in relation to a radioactive substances activity, has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“drainage” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“effluent” has the same meaning as in the 1991 Act;

“emission” means—

(a)

in relation to a Part A installation, the direct or indirect release of substances, vibrations, heat or noise from individual or diffuse sources in the installation into the air, water or land;

(b)

in relation to a Part B installation, the direct release of substances or heat from individual or diffuse sources in the installation into the air;

(c)

in relation to a solvent emission activity, the direct or indirect release of substances from individual or diffuse sources in the regulated facility into the air;

(d)

in relation to Part B mobile plant, the direct release of substances or heat from the mobile plant into the air;

(e)

in relation to a waste operation, the direct or indirect release of substances, vibrations, heat or noise from individual or diffuse sources related to the operation into the air, water or land;

(f)

in relation to a mining waste operation, the direct or indirect release of substances, vibrations, heat or noise from individual or diffuse sources related to the operation into the air, water or land;

(g)

in relation to a radioactive substances activity, the direct or indirect release of radioactive material or radioactive waste;

(h)

in relation to a small waste incineration plant, the direct or indirect release of substances from individual or diffuse sources in the regulated facility into the air or water;

(i)

[F2 in relation to a medium combustion plant, the release of substances from the plant into the air;

(j)

in relation to a specified generator, the release of substances from the plant into the air;]

“enforcement notice” means a notice served under regulation 36;

“enforcement undertaking” has the meaning given in paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 26;

“environmental permit” has the meaning given in regulation 13(1);

“environmental permit condition” means a condition of an environmental permit;

“establishment” has the same meaning as in the Waste Framework Directive;

“excluded flood risk activity” has the meaning given in paragraph 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“excluded waste operation” means any part of a waste operation not carried on at an installation or by means of Part B mobile plant—

(a)

that—

(i)

requires a marine licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 M9 , or

(ii)

does not require such a licence by virtue of any provision made by or under section 74, 75 M10 or 77 of that Act and does not involve the dismantling of a ship that is waste, or

(b)

that relates to waste described in regulation 3(2) of the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 M11 ;

“exempt facility” has the meaning given in regulation 5;

“exempt flood risk activity” has the meaning given in regulation 5;

“exempt groundwater activity” has the meaning given in regulation 5;

“exempt waste operation” has the meaning given in regulation 5;

“exempt water discharge activity” has the meaning given in regulation 5;

“exemption authority” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 2;

“exemption registration authority” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 2;

“existing mining waste facility” means a mining waste facility in operation on 1st May 2008;

“extractive waste” means waste within the meaning of Article 2(1) of the Mining Waste Directive, except where it is excluded from the scope of that Directive by Article 2(2)(a) and (b);

“flood defence structure” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“flood risk activity” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“flood risk activity emergency works notice” means a notice served under paragraph 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“flood risk activity notice of intent” means a notice served under paragraph 9(2) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“flood risk activity remediation notice” means a notice served under paragraph 8 of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“groundwater” means all water which is below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil;

“groundwater activity” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Schedule 22;

“hazardous substance” has the meaning given in paragraph 4 of Schedule 22;

“hazardous waste”, subject to paragraph (7)—

(a)

in relation to England, has the meaning given in regulation 6 of the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 M12 ;

(b)

in relation to Wales, has the meaning given in regulation 6 of the Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005 M13 ;

“highway drain” means a drain which a highway authority or other person is entitled to keep open by virtue of section 100 of the 1980 Act M14 ;

“household waste” has the meaning given in section 75(5) of the 1990 Act;

“inland freshwaters” has the meaning given in section 104 of the 1991 Act;

“installation” has the meaning given in paragraph 1(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 1;

“lake or pond” and “waters of any lake or pond” have the same meaning as in section 104 of the 1991 Act;

“landfill” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1)(d) of Schedule 10;

“landfill closure notice” means a closure notice served under paragraph 10 of Schedule 10;

“local authority” has the meaning given in regulation 6;

“main river” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

[F3 “medium combustion plant” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 25A;]

“mining waste facility” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 20;

“mining waste facility closure notice” means a closure notice served under paragraph 10 of Schedule 20;

“mining waste operation” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 20;

[F4 “mobile medium combustion plant” means a medium combustion plant that is—

(a)

designed to move or be moved whether on roads or other land, and

(b)

is not Part B mobile plant;]

“mobile plant” means [F5 any] of the following—

(a)

Part B mobile plant;

(b)

waste mobile plant;

(c)

[F6 mobile medium combustion plant;]

“mobile radioactive apparatus” has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“the NRBW” means the Natural Resources Body for Wales;

“net rated thermal input” has the meaning given in paragraph 1(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 1;

“non-hazardous waste”, subject to paragraph (7), means waste which is not hazardous waste;

“non-tidal main river” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“nuclear site”, in relation to a radioactive substances activity, has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“operate a regulated facility” and “operator” have the meaning given in regulation 7;

“Part A(1) activity” means an activity falling within Part A(1) of any Section in Part 2 of Schedule 1;

“Part A(2) activity” means an activity falling within Part A(2) of any Section in Part 2 of Schedule 1;

“Part A installation” means a Part A(1) installation or a Part A(2) installation;

“Part A(1) installation” means an installation where a Part A(1) activity is carried on either alone or in combination with any or all of the following—

(a)

a Part A(2) activity;

(b)

a Part B activity;

(c)

the operation of a small waste incineration plant;

(d)

a solvent emission activity;

“Part A(2) installation” means an installation where a Part A(2) activity is carried on either alone or in combination with any or all of the following—

(a)

a Part B activity;

(b)

the operation of a small waste incineration plant;

(c)

a solvent emission activity;

“Part B activity” means an activity falling within Part B of any Section in Part 2 of Schedule 1;

“Part B installation” means, subject to [F7 paragraph (8) and to] Sections 2.2, 5.1 and 6.4 in Part 2 of Schedule 1, an installation, not being a Part A installation, where a Part B activity is carried on either alone or in combination with either or both of the following—

(a)

the operation of a small waste incineration plant;

(b)

a solvent emission activity;

“Part B mobile plant” means plant that is designed to move or be moved whether on roads or other land and that is used to carry on a Part B activity;

“pollutant” means any substance liable to cause pollution;

“pollution”, in relation to a water discharge activity or groundwater activity, means the direct or indirect introduction, as a result of human activity, of substances or heat into the air, water or land which may—

(a)

be harmful to human health or the quality of aquatic ecosystems or terrestrial ecosystems directly depending on aquatic ecosystems,

(b)

result in damage to material property, or

(c)

impair or interfere with amenities or other legitimate uses of the environment;

“pollution”, other than in relation to a water discharge activity or groundwater activity, means any emission as a result of human activity which may—

(a)

be harmful to human health or the quality of the environment,

(b)

cause offence to a human sense,

(c)

result in damage to material property, or

(d)

impair or interfere with amenities or other legitimate uses of the environment;

“prescribed statutory provision” means—

(a)

Part 4 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 M15 ,

(b)

section 163 of the 1991 Act M16 ,

(c)

section 165 of the Water Industry Act 1991 M17 , or

(d)

any local statutory provision (within the meaning given in section 221 of the 1991 Act) or statutory order which expressly confers power to discharge effluent into water;

“prohibition notice” means a notice served under paragraph 9 of Schedule 22;

“proposed transferee” means the person to whom an operator or a regulator proposes to transfer an environmental permit in whole or in part;

“public participation provisions” means regulations 26, 29 and 60, and paragraphs 6 and 8 of Part 1 of Schedule 5;

“public register” has the meaning given in regulation 46(1);

“radioactive material” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“radioactive substances activity” has the meaning given in paragraph 11 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“radioactive substances exemption” means an exemption under Part 6 of Schedule 23 from the requirement for an environmental permit in respect of a radioactive substances activity;

“radioactive waste” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Part 2 of Schedule 23;

“recovery” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 9;

“register” and “registered”, in relation to an exempt facility, have the meanings given in paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 2;

“regulated facility” has the meaning given in regulation 8;

“regulator” means the authority on whom functions are conferred by regulation 32, or by a direction under regulation 33;

“regulator-initiated variation” means the variation of an environmental permit on the initiative of the regulator under regulation 20(1);

“relevant function” has the meaning given in regulation 9;

“relevant territorial waters” has the meaning given in section 104(1) of the 1991 Act;

“remote defence” has the meaning given in paragraph 3(3) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“revocation notice” means a notice served under regulation 22(3);

“river control works” has the meaning given in paragraph 3(3) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“rule-making authority” means—

(a)

in relation to a regulated facility for which a local authority is the regulator, the appropriate authority, and

(b)

in relation to any other regulated facility, the appropriate agency;

“sea defence” has the meaning given in paragraph 3(3) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“sewage effluent” has the meaning given in section 221 of the 1991 Act;

“sewer” has the same meaning as in the 1991 Act;

“small waste incineration plant” means a waste incineration plant or waste co-incineration plant with a capacity less than or equal to 10 tonnes per day for hazardous waste or 3 tonnes per hour for non-hazardous waste;

“solvent emission activity” means an activity to which Chapter V of the Industrial Emissions Directive applies;

[F8 “specified generator” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 25B;]

“standard facility” means a regulated facility described in standard rules published under regulation 26(5);

“stand-alone flood risk activity” means a flood risk activity that is not carried on as part of the operation of a regulated facility of another class;

“stand-alone groundwater activity” means a groundwater activity that is not carried on as part of the operation of a regulated facility of another class;

“stand-alone water discharge activity” means a water discharge activity that is not carried on as part of the operation of a regulated facility of another class;

“suspension notice” means a notice served under regulation 37;

“tidal main river” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“trade effluent” has the meaning given in section 221 of the 1991 Act;

“undertaking”, except in relation to a radioactive substances activity, has the same meaning as in the Waste Framework Directive;

“vessel”, except in Section 2.2 of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 and in paragraph 14 of Part 2 of Schedule 23, has the same meaning as in the 1991 Act;

“waste”, subject to paragraph (6), and except where otherwise defined—

(a)

in relation to Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 and Schedules 13 to 15, [F9 17, 19, 25A and 25B], means anything that—

(i)

is waste within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the Waste Framework Directive, and

(ii)

is not excluded from the scope of that Directive by Article 2(1)(d) of that Directive;

(b)

in any other case means anything that—

(i)

is waste within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the Waste Framework Directive, and

(ii)

is not excluded from the scope of that Directive by Article 2(1), (2) or (3) of that Directive;

“waste battery” and “accumulator” have the meaning given in Article 3(7) of the Batteries Directive, but do not include any waste which is excluded from the scope of that Directive by Article 2(2);

“waste co-incineration plant” means a stationary or mobile technical unit whose main purpose is the generation of energy or production of material products and which uses waste as a regular or additional fuel or in which waste is thermally treated for the purpose of disposal through the incineration by oxidation of waste as well as other thermal treatment processes, such as pyrolysis, gasification or plasma process, if the substances resulting from the treatment are subsequently incinerated;

“waste incineration plant” means a stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of waste, with or without recovery of the combustion heat generated, through the incineration by oxidation of waste as well as other thermal treatment processes, such as pyrolysis, gasification or plasma process, if the substances resulting from the treatment are subsequently incinerated;

“waste mobile plant” means plant that is—

(a)

designed to move or be moved whether on roads or other land,

(b)

used to carry on a waste operation, and

(c)

not an installation or Part B mobile plant;

“waste oil” means mineral-based lubricating or industrial oil which has become unfit for the use for which it was originally intended and, in particular, used combustion engine oil, gearbox oil, mineral lubricating oil, oil for turbines and hydraulic oil;

“waste operation” means recovery or disposal of waste;

“watercourse” has the meaning given in paragraph 2(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 25;

“water discharge activity” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Schedule 21;

“WEEE” has the meaning given in Article 3(1)(e) of the WEEE Directive;

“working day” means a day other than—

(a)

a Saturday or a Sunday,

(b)

Good Friday or Christmas Day, or

(c)

a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 M18 .

(2) In paragraph (1), “statutory order” means any order, byelaw, scheme or award made under any enactment, including an order or scheme confirmed by Parliament or the National Assembly for Wales, or brought into operation in accordance with special parliamentary procedure or special procedure in the Assembly.

(3) For the purpose of calculating a period of time from one event to another event, that period—

(a) starts at the beginning of the day on which the first event occurs, and

(b) ends at the end of the day on which the second event occurs.

(4) In these Regulations, a power to give a direction includes a power to vary or revoke it.

(5) Paragraph (6) applies where a person (“A”)—

(a) carries on a radioactive substances activity described in paragraph 11(2)(b) or (c) or (4) of Part 2 of Schedule 23 in respect of radioactive waste,

(b) is exempt under regulation 12(3) from the requirement for an environmental permit in respect of that activity and that waste (“the relevant exemption”), and

(c) the waste (“the applicable radioactive waste”) is—

(i) NORM waste (as that term is defined in paragraph 2 of Part 6 of Schedule 23), or

(ii) the waste described in the first, second or sixth row of column 1 of Table 6 in Part 6 of Schedule 23.

(6) Where this paragraph applies, for so long as the relevant exemption applies to A, the applicable radioactive waste must be treated for the purposes of these Regulations as if it were waste other than radioactive waste.

(7) In relation to an activity that falls within Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 or Schedule 13, hazardous waste means waste which displays any of the characteristics listed in Annex III to the Waste Framework Directive.

[F10 (8) From the transfer date any medium combustion plant or specified generator does not form part of a Part B installation unless the operation of the plant is itself a Part B activity.

(9) In paragraph (8), “transfer date” has the meaning given in regulation 32(5C).]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(a)

F2 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(b)

F3 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(c)

F4 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(d)

F5 Word in reg. 2(1) substituted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(e)(i)

F6 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(e)(ii)

F7 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(f)

F8 Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(g)

F9 Words in reg. 2(1) substituted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(1)(h)

F10 Reg. 2(8)(9) inserted (30.1.2018) by The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/110), regs. 1, 3(2)

Marginal Citations

M1 1980 c. 66.

M2 1990 c. 43.

M3 1991 c. 57.

M4 1993 c. 12.

M5 1995 c. 25.

M6 S.I. 2007/3538, amended by S.I. 2009/1307, 1799, 3381, 2010/22, 490, 675, 2011/988 and 2012/811.

M7 S.I. 2010/675, amended by paragraph 30 of Part 2 of Schedule 12 to the Energy Act 2013 (c. 32) and by S.I. 2010/676, 2172, 2011/600 (W. 88), 988, 2043, 2933, 2012/630, 811, 2013/390, 755 (W. 90), 766, 2952, 2014/255, 517 (W. 60), 2852, 2015/324, 664, 918, 934, 1360, 1417 (W. 141), 1756, 1973, 2016/58 (W. 28), 149, 475, 691 (W. 189) and 738.

M8 1947 c. 48.

M9 2009 c. 23; Part 4 of that Act concerns marine licensing.

M10 Section 75 was amended by S.I. 2011/405 and 2016/738.

M11 S.I. 2012/811, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

M12 S.I. 2005/894, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

M13 S.I. 2005/1806 (W. 138), amended by S.I. 2015/1417 (W. 141); there are other amending instruments but none is relevant.

M14 Section 100 was amended by paragraph 21 of Schedule 4 to the Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51), paragraph 62 of Schedule 25 to the Water Act 1989 (c. 15), paragraph 36(1) of Schedule 1 to the Water Consolidation (Consequential Provisions) Act 1991 (c. 60) and paragraph 9 of Schedule 7 to the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19).

M15 Part 4 was amended by section 76(2) of the Energy Act 2016 (c. 20) and by S.I. 2011/405, 1043, 1210, 2015/374, 664 and 2016/738. It is prospectively amended by sections 76 to 80 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw. 3) from a date to be appointed.

M16 Section 163 was amended by S.I. 2003/1615 and 2013/755 (W. 90).

M17 1991 c. 56.

M18 1971 c. 80.