Environmental Permitting is a system for regulating business activities that may have an impact on the environment including industrial installations and waste management sites.
We are responsible for issuing Environmental Permits for certain listed activities that operate in the borough as part of the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) regime. These are divided into 3 categories:
- Part A(1): Large, potentially high polluting activities. These are regulated by the Environment Agency and enquiries about these should be directed to them.
- Part A(2): Medium scale act activities. They are regulated by Local Councils for various aspects of the operations including emissions to land, water and air, energy and raw materials usage, waste minimisation, accident prevention and noise emissions.
- Part B: Smaller and less energy intensive activities. Again regulated by Local Councils but the scope is restricted to emissions to air.
There are currently no Part A(2) activities in Wigan however there are around 90 Part B activities covering a wide range of industry including vehicle resprayers, timber manufacturers and cement batching plant.
Information on all these activities is recorded on a public register held at the address below. This is free for inspection by appointment or a copy can be emailed upon request.
Applying for an Environmental Permit
You must have an Environmental Permit if you operate a regulated activity in England and Wales. Each Environmental Permit will set out detailed conditions aimed at preventing and controlling pollution.
Applications for new Part A(2) or Part B Environmental Permit and variations of existing Environmental Permits must be made on an approved form or can be made online via the the following links: -
Information relating to the specific activity applied for must be submitted with the application. It is recommended that you contact the Environmental Protection Section prior to submitting any application to discuss what information maybe required. You will be required to submit a one off application fee with any new application. We will be able to advise you how much that fee will be prior to you submitting your application.
There is an appeal procedure if you are refused an Environmental Permit, you object to the conditions imposed or any enforcement action taken by us.
Members of the public can comment on applications and their views are taken into account along with those of statutory consultees when deciding whether or not to issue a permit.
Annual Inspections and Fees
Once a permit is issued we will carry out inspections once or twice a year depending on the risk associated with the activity. We will also investigate all complaints received about permitted sites to ensure conditions are being met.
An annual subsistence fee is also required to be paid by the holder of the Environmental Permit. This can be paid online by following the link below: -
For further information please contact us and we will work with you to ensure that your business is compliant. You can also visit the following sites for more detailed information: -