Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC)
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 CHaPD 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 (PDF, 338 KB)
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 (PDF, 420 KB)
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC)
A guide for Primary Care Trusts and Local Health Boards
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 below to IPPC Guidance documents produced by other agencies:
Position and Consultation Documents
The Chemicals Hazards and Poisons Division will periodically produce position statements or consultation documents for specific areas or sectors in relation to IPPC applications
- Intensive Farming: Position Statement December 2006
- HPA position statement on Incinerators
- Substitute Fuels in Cement Kilns: October 2004 (PDF, 64 KB)
Substitute Fuels in Cement Kilns: October 2004
This position statement has been superceded by the COMEAP statement of November 2005 produced following consideration of a paper presented by the HPA and the Environment Agency: http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/state.htm
Contact details for IPPC Centres
Contacts for all CHaPD units that deal with IPPC applications (and Environmental Permit applications from April 2008):
|
Health Protection Unit (HPU)* |
CHaPD Supra-Regional Unit |
Address and Email |
|
West Midlands East; West Midlands North; West Midlands West. |
CHaPD Birmingham |
Health Protection Agency 6th Floor Birmingham, B3 2PW tel: 0121 352 5240 |
|
Cheshire & Merseyside; Cumbria & Lancashire; Greater Manchester. |
CHaPD Birmingham (Manchester) |
Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division tel: 0161 786 6714 |
|
South Yorkshire; Humber. East Midlands North; East Midlands South. |
CHaPD Nottingham |
Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division - Nottingham Unit tel: 0844 2254 524 |
|
West Yorkshire; North East. North Yorkshire; |
CHaPD Nottingham (Newcastle) |
Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division - Nottingham Unit (Newcastle Office) tel: 0115 981 5675 |
|
Wales N. Ireland Republic of Ireland (Entire countries no HPUs) |
CHaPD Cardiff |
Chemical Hazards & Poisons Division (Cardiff), UWIC tel: 0292 041 6388 |
|
Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire; Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire; Essex. N. East & N. Central London; N. West London; S. East London; S. West London. Sussex & Surrey; Kent. |
CHaPD London |
Penny Dixey/Karen Hogan Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division (London) |
|
S.W. Peninsula; Avon, Glos. & Wiltshire; Dorset & Somerset. Hampshire & Isle of Wight; Thames Valley. |
CHaPD Chilton |
Chemical Hazards and Poisons HQ tel: 0123 582 4852 |
* 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.
Last reviewed: 2 March 2010
- Position Statement on Municipal Solid Waste Incineration
Added/updated: 1 October 2009 
ESHP Timetable (Excel Spreadsheet, 32 KB)
Timetable for ESHP environmental science course in November
Added/updated: 2 March 2009
