Changes to Environmental Permitting Regulations

This is a joint consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The changes we are proposing are:

• removing the need for waste businesses to have planning permission in place for certain waste operations before an environmental permit can be issued
• replacing the requirement for a full permit with a registration scheme for some low risk discharges to groundwater
• simplifying requirements for regulators to keep registers of information about permitting decisions
• transferring the handling of appeals from the Planning Inspectorate to the First Tier Tribunal
• clarifying notice provisions relating to off-site permit conditions
• correcting oversights in relation to permit transfers
• allowing greater flexibility in the service of notices on corporate bodies

The consultation document is available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website (external link).