Environmental Permitting
Compliance with purpose
Environmental permitting involves achieving compliance with one of the most complex regulatory landscapes in the UK which aims to mitigate impact to the environment (to air, water and land). The regime is governed by Environmental Regulators across the devolved nations under several pieces of legislation.
Turning Regulation into Opportunity
Regulators and the associated legislation have certain commonalities across nations and Arthian have experience in delivering across the full Permit lifecycle (from application, variation, ongoing compliance, to surrender) within each jurisdiction. Our pragmatic and commercially minded approach helps our clients achieve and maintain compliance, which often presents adjacent benefits in terms of design improvements and sustainable operations that lessen impact to the environment.
At Arthian, we have a core Environmental Permitting team consisting of environmental consultants and chemical engineers who have extensive experience in delivering applications for all sectors covered by the regulations. Our expertise extends to securing consents for novel technology and achieving derogations from Best Available Techniques (BAT). Our Environmental Permitting specialists lead a multidiscipline team supported by specialist consultants who are required to prepare the full suite of required technical documents, including:
- Acousticians (noise & vibration);
- Air quality specialists (air quality, dust and odour);
- Waste and resource management;
- Hydrologists (interactions within water bodies and catastrophic failure under CIRIA 736); and
- Contaminated land and geoenvironmental (site condition and remediation).
This breadth of expertise allows us to deliver a holistic, integrated permitting service that considers every environmental pathway, every regulatory requirement and every operational constraint. We have an equally experienced planning team and can therefore align with planning and permitting regimes in parallel, which can deliver cost efficiencies and mitigate programme risk.
Our offering at Arthian extends much further than this which allows us to quickly resolve any gaps in compliance which may require specialist support, this could include but is not limited to engineering (civil, structural, process engineering, process safety), hydraulic modelling, waste management, management systems, wider compliance, energy management and efficiency, and water efficiency to name a few.
Environmental Permitting Services We Provide
We support operators through the full Permit lifecycle, from initial feasibility through to long‑term compliance. What we mean by this is two twofold:
- Support from the initial feasibility of a project, through to commissioning, and onto the decommissioning of a site; and
- Delivery of applications and ongoing compliance support throughout the above Permit lifecycle.
The Permit Lifecycle and requirements on Operators falling within the Regulations is included below:
Our Environmental Permitting Services
The typical types of application are included below, which will vary depending on the nation, sector, activity and interpretation of regulations. We have extensive experience in identifying where activities will fall within the regulations and what this then means in terms of an application.
- Standard Rules Permits
- Bespoke Permits
- Installation Permits
- EASR Notifications
- EASR Permits
Depending on the situation, applications may then be either:
- New permit applications
- Variations (varying in complexity from administrative to substantial)
- Transfers (part and full)
- Surrenders (part and full)
Permit applications may either be Operator led (typically) or in some instances may be Regulator led which would be communicated by a Notice (e.g. Regulation 61 Notice where a BREF/BAT document has been updated). Arthian have significant experience in delivering all of the above and in some instances integrating several of these within a Permitting strategy aligned with business needs.
Our team of Environmental Permitting specialists are constantly engaged with our clients and offer ongoing compliance support to ensure compliance with Permit conditions. This support extends to support with discrete tasks, through to the management of compliance actions and reporting.
This service will frequently include Arthian liaising with the Regulator on behalf of, or with, our client to ensure that requirements are understood, challenged where necessary, and delivered to expectations.
Technical Permitting Solutions
Other services offered include, but are not limited to:
- Regulator liaison and representation
- BAT assessments and gap analysis
- BAT derogations
- H1 Assessments (air and water)
- Environmental risk assessments
- Amenity / discrete management plans (noise & vibration, odour, solvent, waste, residues etc.)
- Odour and bioaerosol monitoring
- Efficiency plans (water, energy and waste)
- Fire Prevention Plans (FPP)
- Site Condition Reports and Baseline Assessments
- Decommissioning and closure reports
- Environmental Management Systems (with or without ISO 14001 alignment)
- Compliance audits and legal registers
Regardless of the required service, our approach is evidence‑led, regulator‑aligned and commercially focused — ensuring your operations remain compliant while supporting business continuity and growth.
Focused Environmental Permitting Services
Below are our specialised Environmental Permitting services. For more detailed support, visit our focused service pages.
Our Understanding
Deep understanding of planning, infrastructure, and environmental interfaces.
Our Experience
National experience with regional insight and regulatory familiarity.
Integration
Fully integrated with geotechnical, hydrological, and ecological disciplines.
Results Driven
Commitment to technical rigour, clear communication, and long-term outcomes.
Our Latest Projects
Get in Touch
We’d love to hear from you – whether you have a question, a project in mind, want to explore job opportunities, or just want to say hello.