Explanatory note

These Regulations make provision for the implementation (in part) in Northern Ireland of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/63/EC on the control of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations. The Regulations provide the framework for the requirements regarding service stations of that Directive to be imposed and enforced under the Industrial Pollution Control (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (“the Order”).

These Regulations amend Schedule 1, Chapter 1, Section 1.4 of the Industrial Pollution Control (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 (S.R. 1998 No. 28) by adding to the list of prescribed processes designated for local control under regulation 5 and Schedule 1 to those Regulations, the unloading of petrol at service stations (regulation 4). A person must not carry on a prescribed process unless an authorisation has been granted by the district council under Article 6 of the Order.

The Schedule to these Regulations makes transitional provisions as to the date from which an authorisation under Article 6 of the Order is required to carry on the process of unloading petrol at service stations.

These Regulations also amend the Industrial Pollution Control (Applications, Appeals and Registers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 (S.R. 1998 No. 29) to provide that certain requirements of Schedule 1 to the Order about advertising do not apply in relation to the unloading of petrol at service stations (regulation 6).

Copies of these Regulations can be obtained from The Stationery Office, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast, BT1 4GD.