Industrial Pollution

How is industrial pollution regulated?

Local Authorities throughout the UK and the Environment Agency have been charged with the responsibility of regulating industrial pollutants to air.  The industries concerned are regulated under the provisions of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000.  These two pieces of legislation supercede the terms of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The PPC Regulations introduce three separate, but linked, systems of pollution control:

• Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), which covers installations known as A(1) installations, which are regulated by the Environment Agency;
• Local authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC)which covers installations known as A(2) installations, which are regulated by local authorities;
• and, Local authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC), which covers installations known as Part B installations, also regulated by local authorities.

All three systems require the operators of certain industrial and other installations to obtain a permit to operate. Once an operator has submitted a permit application, the regulator then decides whether to issue a permit. If one is issued, it will include conditions aimed at reducing and preventing pollution to acceptable levels.

A(1) installations are generally perceived to have a greater  potential to pollute the environment than an A(2) installation, and Part B installations would have the least potential to pollute.

What industrial processes operate in Redditch?

Redditch Borough Council is responsible for regulating all of the Part ‘B’ processes within the Borough.  There are no A(2) installations in Redditch.  The emission limits set out in the authorisation take into account National Air Quality Standards, and companies are regularly inspected by Officers from the Council to ensure that they are complying with their air quality limits.

The Environmental Health department is responsible for the regulation of a number of Part ‘B’ processses around the Borough as shown in the table below:

Where can I get more information?

Much of the information regarding permits is kept on a public register held in the Environmental Health Department at the Town Hall, Alcester St, Redditch. The public register contains copies of all applications for authorisation and details of any monitoring that has been carried out and any legal action that has been taken against site operators. It costs nothing to read the register, although we do make a small fee for photocopying, so if you would like to have a look at the register, or have any other enquiries, please contact us: