Pollution Control - Clean Air Act Approval

The Clean Air Act, 1993, introduced a wide range of new regulations such as those which control smoke emissions and the height of chimneys.

The control of chimney heights enables local authorities to take into account a number of relevant factors in determining the height of a chimney and to ensure that ground level concentrations of pollutants from that chimney do not adversly affect the health and well-being of the population.

Under section 14 of the Act, unless the height of the chimney has been approved by the Council and any conditions attached to approval adhered to, it is an offence to cause or knowingly permit a furnace to be used to:

• burn pulverised fuel
• burn at a rate of 45.4 kg or more an hour any other solid matter or
• burn at a rate equivalent to 366.4 kW or more any liquid or gaseous matter

An application for chimney height approval must contain adequate information to enable the necessary calculations to be carried out.

The Council must consider an application for approval for chimney height for a furnace and give a written decision within 28 days of receipt, unless it is agreed in writing between us and the applicant that a longer period is allowed. If we fail to deal with the application within this time period, then approval without qualification is given.

 

For more information on this please contact a member of the Pollution Control Team on (01495) 355056.