Your business may require a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit 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.

If your business is an installation or mobile plant you will need a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit from your environmental regulator.

An installation is a stationary technical unit, such as a self-contained building, permanent structure or fixed plant, used for listed activities.

A mobile plant is plant that can be moved and is used for listed activities.

Listed activities

These are industrial, waste or intensive farming activities that have an impact on the environment and are listed in the PPC regulations. They are split into categories:

  • Part A, B and C in Northern Ireland
  • Part A and B in Scotland

Listed activities that might be carried out by recorded media businesses include:

Permit Categories

Listed activity

Northern Ireland

Scotland

if you apply printing ink, paint or any other coating material to a substrate, or dry or cure materials after their application, where the process may result in the release of particulate matter or volatile organic compounds into the air, and is likely to involve the use in any 12-month period of 400 tonnes or more of printing ink, paint or other coating material which is applied in solid form.

Part B

 

if you apply printing ink, paint or any other coating material to a substrate, or dry or cure materials after their application, where the process may result in the release of particulate matter or volatile organic compounds into the air, and is likely to involve the use in any 12-month period of::

  • 20 tonnes of metal coating sprayed on in molten form
  • 20 tonnes or more of printing ink, paint or other coating material which is applied in solid form
  • 25 tonnes or more of organic solvents in respect of any cold set web offset printing activity or any sheet fed offset litho printing activity or
  • 5 tonnes or more of organic solvents in respect of any activity not mentioned above

Part C

Part B

This guidance does not provide a complete list of PPC activities. If you are unsure whether you are affected by PPC contact your environmental regulator or, in Northern Ireland, your local council.

What you must do

If your installation or mobile plant carries out listed activities you will need a permit from your environmental regulator.

Permits and regulators for listed activities

Activity category

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Part A

PPC permit regulated by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)

PPC permit regulated by SEPA

Part B

PPC permit regulated the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)

PPC permit regulated by SEPA

Part C

PPC permit regulated by local council

N/A

Contact your environmental regulator

You should contact your environmental regulator or local council for further information about listed activities. NetRegs does not provide detailed guidance on Part A activities.

If you are unsure whether you are affected by PPC, contact your environmental regulator or local council.

Contact your environmental regulator

Contact your local council

How to apply for a permit

NIEA: Apply online

SEPA: Application forms

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