Consultation on modernising environmental permitting for industry

Overview

This consultation seeks views on reforms to modernise the environmental permitting framework for industry and energy sectors.

The consultation sets out a wide variety of regulatory reforms to support innovation in emerging technologies, streamline permitting and provide the regulatory certainty our businesses need to succeed, grow and invest, while maintaining essential environmental and health protections. 

It covers the permitting of ‘industrial’ activities under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPRs), which are taken to include installations, medium combustion plant and specified generators, small waste incineration plant, solvent emission activities, Part B mobile plant and mobile medium combustion plant. The consultation does not cover waste operations, mining waste operations, radioactive substances activities, water discharge activities, groundwater activities or flood risk activities.

This consultation is for England only, however, the devolved governments have been engaged during the preparation of the consultation and we intend to continue working closely with them in further developing the policy options outlined in this document.

We are seeking views from the businesses and sectors in scope of these reforms as well as wider organisations and individuals across civil society, local government and academia. 

Feedback will be used to shape detailed proposals which will be subject to further consultation.