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Integrated Pollution Prevention Control

About IPPC

IPPC is a regulatory system to ensure that industry adopts an integrated approach to pollution control to achieve a high level of protection for the environment and human health. Operators of new or proposed installations must apply for a permit from the Regulator (either the Environment Agency or Local Authority) prior to operation, or within a specified time frame in the case of existing sites. The applicant must consider all environmental and health impacts associated with emissions from the installation . As part of the determination process, the Regulator is required to consult with a number of Statutory Consultees including Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England and Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales because of their 'specialist knowledge'.

The response from the PCTs and LHBs must be retrieved within 28 days and is placed on the Public Register. IPPC applications have a large and highly technical content, which requires considerable expertise (beyond the remit and scope of Primary Care Trusts and Local Health Boards) to assess and interpret.

The HPA supports PCTs and LHBs in fulfilling their responsibilities as statutory consultees within the IPPC regime. The CRCE units and the Regional Environmental teams have access to a wide variety of expertise to help inform the public health response. Areas of expertise include air pollution, air dispersion modelling, contaminated land, toxicology, and epidemiology.

The Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP)

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations will come into force in April 2008. This will reduce the administrative burden via the use of a more risk-based approach to pollution control. Waste Management Licenses (WMLs) and Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permits will be replaced by Environmental Permits. Standard permits will be available whereby the operator will have to comply to with general binding rules (GBRs) as well as bespoke permits, with conditions set by the Environment Agency specifically for a facility.

Guidance

Guidance for Public Health Response

The demand placed on PCTs, LHBs and the HPA by the IPPC regime is increasing in terms of expectation, volume and the need for quality and consistency. The HPA has responded by anticipating the increased demand and requirement for quality assurance in a number of ways including the development of guidance for PCTs and LHBs.

This guidance (which is split into two volumes) details the responsibilities of the PCTs and LHBs, how this statutory role fits in with their broader public health responsibilities and proposes national service standards required of agencies involved in providing a response to IPPC applications. It is a key part of the support available to PCTs and LHBs and will encourage a consistent and appropriate response.

Volume 1: Introduction to Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC). A Guide for Primary Care Trusts and Local Health Boards

Volume 2: Responding to IPPC. A Guide for Primary Care Trust and Local Health Board Professionals involved in responding to IPPC

Sector Guidance

The Health Protection Agency will be producing and publishing guidance on the public health aspects of specific IPPC sectors.

Summary statement regarding the seminar Managing the Implications for the Health Consultee held in Birmingham on 4 March 2005:

Incineration sector: managing the implications for the health consultee (PDF, 59 KB)
Summary statement regarding: “IPPC: Incineration Sector; Managing the Implications for the Health Consultee” 4th March 2005, Birmingham

Follow the links in the right-hand menu to IPPC guidance documents produced by other agencies.

Position and Consultation Documents

The Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards will periodically produce position statements or consultation documents for specific areas or sectors in relation to IPPC applications

Contact details for IPPC Centres

The Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts covered by a particular HPU can be found by following the ‘contact us’ link at the top right of this page.

Contacts for all CRCE units that deal with IPPC applications (and Environmental Permit applications from April 2008):

West Midlands East; West Midlands North; West Midlands West.

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit: Birmingham
Health Protection Agency
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (Birmingham)
6th Floor, 5 St Philips Place,
Birmingham, B3 2PW
tel: 0844 225 3560
email:chemicals.birmingham@hpa.org.uk

Cheshire & Merseyside; Cumbria & Lancashire; Greater Manchester.

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit: Birmingham (Manchester)
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards
Health Protection Agency North West
c/o Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit
Floor 7b, Peel House,
Albert Street, Eccles
Manchester M30 0NJ
tel: 0161 786 6714
email:chemicals.birmingham@hpa.org.uk

South Yorkshire; Humber; East Midlands North; East Midlands South

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit:  Nottingham
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards - Nottingham Unit
Institute of Population Health
Nottingham City Hospital
Hucknall Road
Nottingham NG5 1PB
tel: 0844 2254 524
email:chemicals.nottingham@hpa.org.uk

West Yorkshire; North East; North Yorkshire

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit: Nottingham (Newcastle)
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards - Nottingham Unit (Newcastle Office)
Health Protection Agency
Floor 2, Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4WH
tel: 0115 981 5675
email:chemicals.nottingham@hpa.org.uk

Wales; N. Ireland; Republic of Ireland (Entire countries no HPUs)

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit:  Cardiff
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (Wales)
University for Wales, Institute Cardiff (UWIC)
Western Avenue
Cardiff
CF5 2YB
tel: 0292 041 6388
email:chemicals.cardiff@hpa.org.uk

Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire; Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire; Essex, N. East & N. Central London; N. West London; S. East London; S. West London. Sussex & Surrey; Kent.

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit:  London
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (London Chemicals unit)
Karen Hogan
Health Protection Agency
Health Protection Agency Central Office
151 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9SZ
Tel:  020 781 17141

S.W. Peninsula; Avon, Glocestershire & Wiltshire; Dorset & Somerset; Hampshire & Isle of Wight; Thames Valley

CRCE Supra-Regional Unit: Chilton
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards HQ
Chilton, Didcot
Oxfordshire OX11 0RQ
tel: 01235 834359

email: chiltongloucestersru@hpa.org.uk


 
  • Position Statement on Intensive Farming
    Added/updated: 15 December 2010
  • Substitute Fuels in Cement Kilns: October 2004 (PDF, 64 KB)
    October 2004: The use of substitute fuels in cement kilns is subject to Integrated Pollution Prevention Control regulation and has been the source of considerable public concern. Consequently the HPA has produced this initial position statement on the public health consequences of these processes in order to help inform the debate. The HPA referred this issue to the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) for detailed consideration of health/public health aspects and advice.
    Added/updated: 23 February 2011
  • Position Statement on Municipal Solid Waste Incineration
    After reviewing the latest literature the Agency's general position remains unchanged: Modern, well managed incinerators make only a small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. It is possible that such small additions could have an impact on health but such effects, if they exist, are likely to be very small and not detectable.
    Added/updated: 18 April 2011
  • ESHP Timetable (Excel Spreadsheet, 32 KB)
    Timetable for ESHP environmental science course in November
    Added/updated: 2 March 2009

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