Pollution control
Clean air act approval:
The Clean Air Act 1993 prohibits dark smoke from chimneys and
from industrial and trade premises. It controls emissions from
furnaces and dictates chimney height. It also allows the creation
of Smoke Control Areas.
Under sections 14-16, LB Tower Hamlets must approve the height
of new chimneys serving trade or industrial premises within the
borough. A stack height calculation must be submitted to the
Environmental Protection Service by the applicant, based on HMIP
Technical Guidance Note D1 (1993). The Environmental Protection
Service must consider an application for approval for chimney
height and give a written decision within 28 days of receipt,
unless it is agreed in writing between the council and the
applicant that a longer period is allowed. If we fail to deal with
the
application (pdf, 353 kb) within this time period, then
approval without qualification can be given.
Industrial pollution control:
Some industries have potential to cause
pollution. They are regulated under the Pollution Prevention and
Control (PPC) regime, through the Environmental Permitting (England
and Wales) Regulations 2010 (EPR).
Some processes (Part B) have the potential to
cause only air pollution (for example smoke, dust or solvent fumes)
and the local authority is responsible for their regulation.
Other processes, which fall under European
Directive 96/61/EC on
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), have
potential to cause pollution to air, land and water – the smaller
of these (Part A2) are regulated by local authorities; the larger
(A1) by the
Environment Agency.
We are responsible for permitting and
inspecting all Part A2 and B processes within the borough.
If your business’s activity appears within Schedule
1, Part 2 of EPR, you must have an Environmental Permit in
order to legally operate that business. View a summary of the activities covered by EPR. Any
person operating an installation that requires a permit must submit
an application with the appropriate fee to us. The
fee payable with the application is set annually by Central
Government.
If the application is successful the Environmental Permit will
be issued in line with Government guidance. The permit sets out
limits on the pollution your business can make at your premises and
from any mobile plant, and what you need to do to prevent and
control pollution. The operator of the prescribed process must
comply with the conditions of the permit and they will be subject
to inspection to ensure this is the case. Non-compliance will be
subject to enforcement action as set out in the Environmental
Protection Enforcement Policy. Level of compliance informs the
annual Environmental and Operator Risk Assessment, the outcome of
which decides the frequency of inspection, and the level of
subsistence fee payable by the operator. In keeping with the
Polluter Pays Principle, the risk based fee and charges scheme is
designed so that industry pays reasonable costs to the local
authorities who regulate them - the greater the risk, the greater
the fees payable. The
subsistence fee payable is set annually by Central
Government.
See more information on Environmental
Permitting.
Contact environmental health:
Your first point of contact for the
Environmental Protection Service is through our call centre, where
we have trained and experienced operators ready to listen to your
concerns and to give you the information you need.
We are available to take your calls from 9am
to 5pm Monday to Fridays on:
Tel: 020 7364 5008
Fax: 020 7364 6831
Email: environmentalhealth@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Or you can write to us at:
Environmental Health, Environmental
Protection
Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG
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