Horizontal guidance
Below is a list of The Horizontal Guidance documents, published jointly by the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Natural Resource Wales and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), which provide useful references when putting together a Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) application for a Part A Permit.
H5 Site report Guidance and Template for New Applicants
Noise guidance
The old H3 guidance has been replaced in July 2021 by the noise and vibration management: environmental permits guidance, the guidance and additional information can be obtained from:
noise-and-vibration-management-environmental-permits
This guidance has been developed by all four UK regulators and is applicable in Northern Ireland and a downloadable pdf version can be obtained on the following link:
Noise and Vibration Management Guidance.
BS 4142: 2014 methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound
NIEA require all submissions referring to BS 4142 to follow the 2014 standard. Part A installations with a history of noise complaint should note that any new assessments should be carried out in accordance with the 2014 standard, as it may significantly alter the impact (as compared to the BS 4142:1997 method).
Odour guidance
The H4 odour guidance document which is applicable throughout the UK is available to download from:
environmental-permitting-h4-odour-management
Odour Impact Assessment Guidance for Permitted and Licenced Sites
Guidance on Emerging techniques:
Guidance on Emerging Techniques (GET) is being produced by the UK environmental regulators in consultation with industry and academia. Where BAT does not exist for a new or developing technique and it is therefore not covered in existing EU BREFs or new UK BAT documents, or where potential emerging environmental effects have been recognised and need to be addressed we will provide links to the guidance when available.
See below for the UK wide guidance developed and published to date:
Emerging techniques for Hydrogen Production with Carbon Capture – Blue Hydrogen
Guidance that is being developed include:
Hydrogen production using electrolysis - Green Hydrogen
Carbon Capture and storage (CCS) guidance:
Guidance for post-combustion carbon capture on combustion plants which will consist of additions for energy from waste (following the recent evidence review)
Cement and Lime Carbon Capture Guidance
Industrial flue gas CO2 capture in the following sectors: glass, ceramics (including bricks and roofing tiles), iron and steel including electric arc furnace, chemicals, pulp and paper carbon capture
Refining Carbon Capture Evidence Review and Guidance Development
Sectoral guidance
Part A sectoral guidance
Part A sectoral guidance can be found on the Environment Agency website (link below). This guidance refers to the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) rather than the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, however NIEA endorses the technical content for part A installations in Northern Ireland’
Other guidance
Best Available Techniques Reference (BREF) notes produced by European Union
Part B sectoral guidance
Statutory guidance for blending, packing, loading, unloading and use of cement
Statutory guidance for quarry processes
Statutory guidance for roadstone coating
Statutory guidance for mineral drying and cooling
Statutory guidance for mobile crushing and screening
Application forms for PPC(IE)
From the 7 January 2013, all applications for new Part A or Part B permits must now be made under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (NI) 2013.
PPC(IE) Part A Permit, Variation, Transfer and Surrender Application Form
PPC(IE) Part B Permit, Variation and Transfer Application Form
you can also use the Apply Online facility for both permits
Guidance for applicants for PPC(IE)
PPC(IE) Part A guidance for applicants
PPC(IE) Part B guidance for applicants
Please note that activities requiring a Part B PPC permit may also require a Waste Management Licence under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and/or a consent to discharge under the terms of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. It is now possible to apply for these permissions in parallel.
Guidance for "low impact" installations
Sectoral guidance
Guidance for Part A installations and Part A mobile plant
Part C general guidance and process guidance notes
The general guidance manual issued by the Department is the main guidance on the local air pollution prevention and control permit system (LAPPC).
General guidance manual on the policies and procedures for part C installations
Process guidance notes
The process guidance notes below form official government guidance on the exact Best Available Techniques (BAT) for Part C installations (this includes amongst other things, dry cleaners, petrol stations and some car re-spraying yards).
Local Air Pollution Prevention and Control guidance
Guidance can be found by clicking the below links to access the following documents:
general guidance - forms and notices for Part C Installations
Part C process guidance notes
Process guidance notes for Part C activities prescribed under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 for control by district councils are reviwed on a UK wide basis.
They can be found online on the Local Authority Pollution Control guidance page of the DEFRA website.
These notes cover the following sectors:
- animal and vegetable processing sectors
- combustion and incineration
- minerals sector
- metals sector
- petroleum and powder coating sector
- solvents sector
If you would like any further information please contact the DAERA Chemicals and Industrial Pollution Policy (CIPP) Branch.