Introductory text

Environmental protection, Wales

Made 4 March 2026

Coming into force 30 September 2026

The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Secretary of State by section 87(1)(c), (2)(c), (2)(o)(ii) and (5)(a) of, and paragraph 5(1)(f) and (m) of Schedule 11 to, the Environment Act 1995^f1 (“the 1995 Act”), and now vested^f2 in them, make the following Regulations.

In accordance with section 87(7B) of the 1995 Act^f3, the Welsh Ministers have consulted Natural Resources Wales, every local authority in Wales, the Public Health Wales National Health Service Trust, every Local Health Board established under section 11 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006^f4 and the public.

In accordance with the Senedd approval procedure applied by section 87(8) of the 1995 Act a draft of this Welsh statutory instrument was laid before, and approved by resolution of, Senedd Cymru.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: 1995 c. 25. Section 91(1) defines “prescribed” and “regulations”.
f2: The powers conferred on the Secretary of State were, so far as exercisable in relation to Wales, transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by virtue of article 2 of, and Schedule 1 to, the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672). By virtue of section 162(1) of, and paragraphs 30 and 32 of Schedule 11 to, the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32) those functions are now exercisable by the Welsh Ministers. The existing text of section 87(2)(o) was renumbered, and new section 87(o)(ii) was inserted by section 24(2)(a) of the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024 (asc 2) (“the 2024 Act”).
f3: Section 87(7B) of the 1995 Act was inserted by section 15 of the 2024 Act.
f4: 2006 c. 42.