OpenLegislation

The Environmental Regulation (Significant Environmental Harm) (Scotland) Order 2014

S.S.I. 2014/324 · Made 19 November 2014 · Extends to Scotland

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 10 October 2026.

Environmental Protection

Made 19th November 2014

Laid before the Scottish Parliament 21st November 2014

Coming into force 31st December 2014

The Scottish Ministers make the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 40(6)(c) of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014f1 and all other powers enabling them to do so.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

2014 asp 3.

Contents

  1. 1Citation and commencement
  2. 2Specified enactments
  3. Signature
  4. Schedule: Specified enactments
  5. 1Paragraph 1
  6. 2Paragraph 2
  7. 2AParagraph 2A
  8. 3Paragraph 3
  9. 4Paragraph 4
  10. 5Paragraph 5 Repealed
  11. 6Paragraph 6 Repealed
  12. 7Paragraph 7 Repealed
  13. 8Paragraph 8 Repealed
  14. 9Paragraph 9
  15. 10Paragraph 10 Repealed
  16. 11Paragraph 11
  17. 12Paragraph 12
  18. 12aParagraph 12a
  19. 13Paragraph 13
  20. 14Paragraph 14 Repealed
  21. 15Paragraph 15
  22. 16Paragraph 16 Repealed
  23. 17Paragraph 17 Repealed
  24. 18Paragraph 18
  25. 19Paragraph 19
  26. 20Paragraph 20
  27. Explanatory note

1Citation and commencementI1

This Order may be cited as the Environmental Regulation (Significant Environmental Harm) (Scotland) Order 2014 and comes into force on 31st December 2014.

2Specified enactmentsI1

The enactments specified in the Schedule are specified for the purposes of section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Signature

PAUL WHEELHOUSE

Authorised to sign by Scottish Ministers

St Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

19th November 2014

1I1

F1Sections 24 and 26A of the Hill Farming Act 1946 (muirburn).

2I1

Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (power to grant licences)f1.

2AF1

Part 2 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

3I1

The Nuclear Installations Act 1965f1.

4I1

Part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (deposits in the sea)f1.

5F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9I1

The Offshore Chemicals Regulations 2002f1.

10F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11I1

The Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2005f1.

12F1

The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2020.

12aF1

The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships) Regulations 2020.

13I1

Part IV of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 (marine licensing)f1.

14F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15I1

The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011f1.

16F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17F1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18I1

The Offshore Combustion Installations (Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2013f1.

19F1

The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018.

20F1

The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 2019.

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order specifies enactments under section 40(6)(c) of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (“the Act”).

Section 40(1) of the Act creates offences relating to causing significant environmental harm. Section 40(6) of the Act provides the Scottish Ministers with a power to specify enactments for the purposes of a defence to section 40(1).

The effect of this Order is that it will be a defence for a person charged with an offence under section 40(1) of the Act to show that the acts or failures alleged to constitute the offence were authorised by, or otherwise carried out in accordance with, an enactment specified in the Schedule to this Order. The enactments in the Schedule cover a range of environmental authorisations, registrations, permits or exemptions with which a person may be able to show compliance. These include:

  • Landfill permits

  • Offshore chemical permits

  • Discharge permits

  • Part A and Part B pollution prevention and control permits

  • Waste management licences

  • Registrations relating to use of radioactive material and mobile radioactive apparatus

  • Authorisations of disposal and accumulation of radioactive waste

  • Exemptions under the Radioactive Substances Exemptions (Scotland) Order 2011

  • Waste management exemptions under regulation 17 of the Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011

  • Authorisations under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, including the general binding rules.

  • Licences for deposits in the sea

  • Nuclear site licences

  • Discharges in compliance with the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1996 and Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2008

  • Species licences under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • Muirburn licences