Industrial Processes Working Group

Mission Statement

The Group aim to provide a uniform approach by member authorities, to the control of industrial processes in the Manchester area through the enforcement of the relevant pollution control legislation and the provision of high quality customer services for protecting peoples' health and the environment.

The Group operates in the following ways:

• organisation of meetings and training workshops;
• consultation across member authorities;
• development of best practice procedures for use by member authorities;
• practical implementation of consistent MAPAC policies through the pollution control officers of member authorities; benchmarking of authorisation procedures and development of best practice guidance;
• liaison and consultation with external bodies including the Environment Agency and the Government on related pollution issues; compilation of MAPAC databases on industrial processes.

History

The important work area of industrial pollution control was formalised within a specialised MAPAC working group in the summer of 1994. Since then, the output has been more effective liaison between officers engaged in the regulation of 'industrial' air pollution and a more proactive approach to the practical issues surrounding this rapidly developing area of pollution control.

MAPAC has however, been a focus for liaison and development of practice for authorised industrial processes since the implementation of the (then) new powers under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which for the first time brought emissions to air from a wide range of industrial activities under the direct control of local authorities. The control was by means of an authorisation issued by the local authority to operate the industrial process and accompanied by specific conditions setting out standards for the operation of the plant and its emissions to air. In the MAPAC area, there are over 1000 processes controlled in this way, ranging from iron foundries, cement storage installations, incinerators and paint spraying operations to waste oil burners and petrol filling stations.

Historical work areas have included:

• coordination of information on industrial processes across MAPAC
• collaboration on procedures for authorisation of Petrol Filling Stations
• response to the Government's study on the performance of local authorities with respect to the authorisation of Part B processes - 'Local Authority Progress in Implementing the Local Air Pollution Control Regime' (The Cardinal Report)
• Formal consultation responses to Government's proposals for implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regime (IPPC)

Current Work Areas

The current work within the Group is being carried out within the context of the EU Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control which was implemented in this country by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999. Over the next few years, all processes are programmed for transfer to the new regime. Under the old legislation (Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990) Part A processes are controlled by Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) by the Environment Agency while Part B processes are controlled for emissions to air by local authorities.

Under the new IPPC regime, emissions to air from Part B processes will continue to be controlled by local authorities and the very large installations (now referred to as Part A1s) will continue to be controlled by the Environment Agency. However there will also be a number of small to medium size installations which will be classified as Part A2 and will be under the control of local authorities as part of the IPPC regime.

For more information on the new regime, visit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs web site at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/default.htm

Whilst the current work of the Group is being progressed within the context of the new regime, the aims of the Group remain the same and are focussed on activities which seek to provide a high quality, cost effective service and include:

• Benchmarking of work areas associated with industrial authorisations for MAPAC local authorities, including inspection methodology and authorisation standards
• Development and implementation of a MAPAC code of best practice for permitting of industrial processes for member authorities
• Liaison with the regional office of the Environment Agency on practical working arrangements for the transition to and operation of the new IPPC regime
• Co-ordination of information relating to industrial processes and their emissions to air across the Greater Manchester Area
• Collection and collation of technical data about emissions from industrial processes for EMIGMA (Emission Monitoring Information in the Greater Manchester Area)

Practical training and sharing of officer expertise is an important aspect of the collaborative work across MAPAC and this includes, the identification of priorities areas for training followed by practical support and implementation by MAPAC. For example, a two day emission monitoring course developed in conjunction with the National Environmental Technology Centre, (which is part of AEA Technology plc) has provided the specialised training needed by officers for the auditing of stack emission monitoring required of many authorised processes.

Future Work Areas

Over the next few years, completing the transition to the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regime and the Solvent Emissions Directive will continue to present a challenge, and an opportunity, to local authorities as they respond to the new standards of control. Issues will include the effective implementation of the new permitting process for existing installations, the identification of 'new' activities which will become subject to regulation such as large food factories and the introduction of the new A2 classification which will require further development of areas of expertise within local authorities. Further development of partnerships with related environmental organisations is already under way. For example, regular meetings are already being held with the Environment Agency to consider more integrated liaison procedures for the control of noise at A1 installations.

Continuous improvement of services within individual local authorities is a continuing priority. A joint MAPAC consultation exercises with customers and operators of processes to find out what they think about our services (and how we could make our services better in the future) has been carried out. Feedback from this exercise and further benchmarking studies with member authorities is being used to develop improved practice and procedures for the control of pollution from industrial processes and improved customer services.

Other information

The working group is recognised as an integral part of wider pollution issues facing MAPAC authorities - the Industrial Processes group for example collated information on emissions to air from industrial processes as part of MAPAC's co-ordinated approach to its air quality review and assessment responsibilities.

Each local authority maintains a register of the industrial processes in their areas. For further information contact the relevant local authority. Contact details via the member authorities page.

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