New permit issued for Beddington energy-from-waste site

3 Jun 2026 07:47 PM

Decision follows extensive review and two rounds of public consultation. Rigorous assessments in place to protect the environment and health

The Environment Agency has approved an application for a new permit submitted by Viridor South London Ltd. It will enable the company to increase the amount of waste handled at its energy-recovery facility at Beddington in south London.  

Specialist officers have considered proposals in detail, along with information and evidence provided during 2 public consultations, and is satisfied the permit variation can be granted

The Environment Agency’s role is to assess each application and decide if it meets all requirements under relevant environmental legislation and provides a high level of protection to the environment and human health.

It will only vary a permit if it is satisfied this is the case.

Compliance at the site will continue to be robustly regulated in line with the conditions of the revised permit.

Matt Higginson, environment manager for the Environment Agency in Kent, South London and East Sussex, said:

Environmental permits set out stringent conditions for all waste sites. We talk to bodies like the UK Health Security Agency before issuing them. The environmental permit for Beddington is set at levels to protect human health and the environment.

Emissions from the plant are monitored around the clock, and the data is rigorously assessed to identify if any breaches to the permit occur.  

As part of the regulation of any activity with the potential to harm the environment, the Environment Agency can suspend or revoke an environmental permit. It also has the authority to issue enforcement notices and consider prosecution for the most serious offences.

This permit variation will allow Viridor to:

• Increase the processing capacity of the energy recovery facility to 382,286 tonnes per annum, an increase of 34,864 tonnes;
• Update the status of all pre-operational and improvement conditions in the permit;
• Amend all the emission point locations listed in the environmental permit for discharges to surface water and sewerage, for both the energy recovery facility and waste transfer station. Incorporate an additional emissions point for shredder emissions at the waste transfer station;
• Consolidate permits for the waste transfer station and the energy recovery facility into a single environmental permit;
• Include additional European Waste Catalogue codes for the operation of the waste transfer station. These are for temporary storage and transfer only of hazardous and clinical wastes. These materials are not to be processed in the energy-recovery facility. EWC codes classify common types of waste and how they should be treated.

The permit, that came into force yesterday, and the stringent conditions set out by the Environment Agency to ensure compliance, are available on gov.uk.

Background:

• Planning permission for the Beddington energy-recovery facility was granted by Sutton Borough Council in May 2013. This decision was subsequently upheld and approved by the Mayor of London in August the same year.

• This permission in 2013 included accepting this new volume of waste and a very large number of vehicle movements.

• The environmental permit only covers issues raised by the application by Viridor. There will be other matters, such as lorry movements, that come under the regulation of, among others, local authorities.