Environmental Permitting

•  Review of operations and processes against permitting requirements
•  Environmental Permit applications (England and Wales)
•  Waste Management Licence and Pollution Prevention and Control Permit applications
•  Variation applications
•  Closure reports and closure applications
•  Surrender applications
•  Appeals against regulator’s decisions
•  Preparation of management systems and monitoring schemes
•  Site condition and baseline reports
•  Environmental assessments
•  Compliance audits
•  Technical and expert witness reports and representation

The volume and complexity of regulation and associated guidance provided by UK regulators presents a significant challenge to industry.  This is evident particularly in the area of pollution control with industrial processes being increasingly the subject of regulation in line with European Directives such as Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions which is known as the ‘Industrial Emissions Directive’ or ‘IED’.  The transposition of the IED into national legislation affects a wide range of industrial activities from intensive farming to wastes management.

MJCA has the experience, expertise and capability to support you through the pollution control regulatory regime.  We provide a comprehensive range of services from the preparation and management of your application for an Environmental Permit (in England and Wales), Pollution Prevention and Control Permit or Waste Management Licence (in Scotland or Northern Ireland) through to compliance auditing of the operations against permit conditions.

We provide a complete application service that includes the provision of the following:

• Evaluation of your business operations against the permitting requirements.
• Discussions and negotiations with the regulator.
• Gap analysis of your operations against the requirements of relevant technical guidance.
• Completion of the application and supporting assessments and other documents.
• Production of the application site condition report or baseline report.
• Environmental assessments prepared in accordance with technical guidance.
• Preparation of bespoke management systems.
• Provision of supporting services such as environmental audit, environmental risk assessments, site investigation and surveying services. (see our Contaminated Land, Geotechnical and Civil Engineering Services and Surveying Services)

We regularly advise clients on the appropriateness of their existing planning consent(s) for the proposed permitted activity or prepare applications for the necessary consent if this is appropriate (see our Planning Services).

For those businesses that already have a permit for their operations we regularly provide support services such as compliance audits and the review of operational procedures and supporting documents or as the needs of the business dictate provide support in varying, transferring or surrendering the permit.  We have considerable experience in the preparation of closure reports and closure applications for landfill sites (see our Landfill Services).  We also provide technical advice with respect to appeals against a regulator’s decision to refuse an application or to revoke a permit or against a regulator-initiated variation of the permit conditions.

For some activities a permit is unnecessary.  We have the experience necessary to evaluate the activity and advise you on whether a permit is necessary for a particular activity.  The most appropriate solution for some operations will be the notification of an exemption to the permitting regime.  We provide advice on whether an exemption is appropriate and notify the regulatory authority of the exemption on your behalf thereby reducing the regulatory burden with its associated costs.

As a company we are involved actively in consultations on the development of new legislation and guidance that have the potential to have an impact on industry through our membership of industry and government committees and working groups.  We have representatives on the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Environment Committee, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) Regulation, Planning and Landfill, Pre-Treatment and Logistics Working Groups, the Steering Committees of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM) Special Interest Groups for Regulation and Hazardous Waste, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) Waste Group and we are represented on the Environment Agency Landfill Regulation Main Group as well as a number of sub-groups.  We are therefore well placed to advise clients on the potential effect of emerging guidance and or legislation in addition to existing guidance and legislation.