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Oral hearings

Anyone who makes a valid objection to a proposed determination can request an oral hearing. A request must include the €100 fee (in addition to the objection fee) and be received within the 28-day objection period. This period commences on the date of notification of the proposed determination by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA has absolute discretion to hold an oral hearing, whether or not a request has been made.

Factors

While there is no specific statutory criteria governing the decision to hold one, factors that would influence us include:

  • new issues not previously raised that are specific to the location of the development;
  • the sensitivity of the location or local environment;
  • if the matter is of national or regional importance;
  • the scale and complexity of the development; or
  • significant new information.

Can I withdraw an oral hearing request?

A request for an Oral Hearing can be withdrawn at any time prior to it being considered by the Board of the Agency.

Learn more

Aspects of Licensing Procedures: Objections and Oral Hearings to find out more about oral hearings.

Oral Hearing FAQs

Oral Hearing FAQ's

An Oral Hearing is a forum for all parties to an objection to orally express their objections and concerns about a Proposed Determination. It provides the applicant, objector(s) and the local authority (where relevant) the opportunity to appear in person and/or to be represented by another person.

 

Browse the FAQ's to learn more

  • What is temporary storage of waste?

    According to the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended, the temporary storage of waste refers to the storage of waste for a period of not more than six months.

  • What are the newly prescribed activities in the food & drink sector (activities which previously did not require a licence)?

    Newly prescribed activities in the food and drink sector include those installations involved in:

    1. The treatment and processing for the production of feed from animal and/ or vegetable raw materials, where finished product production capacity exceeds 75 tonnes per day where 10% or more animal raw material is used and 300 tonnes per day if only vegetable raw material. 
    2. The treatment and processing for the production of food or feed from a mixture of animal and vegetable raw materials at specified daily production capacity (a sliding scale for mixed production in the range 75 to 300 tonnes per day applies where less than 10% animal raw material is used).
    3. The treatment and process for the production of feed on a seasonal basis of more than 600 tonnes per day for a period of no more than 90 days in any year.

    Read more

  • What are the newly prescribed activities under the First Schedule of the EPA Act 1992 as amended (existing installation not covered by the EPA Act)?

    The following activities are newly prescribed and will require an Industrial Emissions Licence by 7th July 2015:

    1. The production of, organic/ inorganic chemicals, of phosphorus-based, nitrogen-based or potassium-based fertilisers, of plant health products and of biocides, of pharmaceutical products including intermediates, of explosives, provided that the activity concerns production by biological processing.
    2. The gasification and liquefaction of fuels other than coal, with a rated thermal input of 20MW or more.
    3. An activity specified in paragraph 7.8 (food and drink sector) that did not previously require a licence.
    4. In relation to the waste sector, certain waste licences will become IE licences and regulated under the EPA Act 1992 to 2013.

    Given the complexity and scale of some IED activities, and in order to avoid possible delays caused by submitting an incomplete application, the EPA recommends that you engage in pre-application clarification/consultation prior to submitting your application for an IED licence.

    Contact the EPA Environmental Licensing Programme at licensing@epa.ie if you wish to arrange a pre-application meeting.

  • How do I interpret the term "pre-treatment" as it pertains to activities under class 11.4(a)(iii) and 11.4(b)(ii)?

    The term "pre-treatment" is not defined in the Industrial Emissions Directive.  The term "treatment" is defined in the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) as:

    'recovery or disposal operations, including preparation prior to recovery or disposal'.

    The term 'treatment' has the same meaning as 'pre-treatment'.

    Operators who carry out recovery and/or disposal activities on waste followed by dispatch of the waste for incineration or co-incineration should be regarded as carrying out “pre-treatment of waste for incineration or co-incineration” for the purposes of the new First Schedule.

    When deciding whether an activity comprises “pre-treatment of waste for incineration or co-incineration” for the purposes of the new First Schedule, applicants should consider what happens within the waste facility that is to be authorised, and not any treatment or pre-treatment that took place previously at another facility or the presence of waste segregation practices at the point of waste collection.

    The following should not generally be regarded as constituting "pre-treatment of waste for incineration or co-incineration":

    • the incidental generation of waste from waste treatment activities and the dispatch of such incidental waste for incineration.

    Solid recovered fuels and refuse derived fuels are often but not always produced to a technical specification that might also comprise a quality standard and/or a quality assurance scheme.  They are also often produced to be classified by the EWC codes 191210 or 191212.  The absence of:

    • a technical specification,
    • a quality standard, 
    • a quality assurance scheme, and/or 
    • EWC codes 19 12 10 and 19 12 12

    for a solid recovered fuel or refuse derived fuel is not indicative that an activity does not comprise "pre-treatment of waste for incineration or co-incineration".

  • What does the IED mean for EPA licensing?

    One of the main functions of the Environmental Protection Agency has been the licensing and control of specified activities that are listed in:

    • the Third and Fourth Schedules to the Waste Management Act 1996 as amended, and
    • the First Schedule to the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 as amended

    Under these acts, the Agency has to date granted waste licences and IPPC licences respectively.

    The Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), as it has been transposed into Irish legislation, has changed the existing situation and has introduced a third class of licence that can be granted by the Agency, the Industrial Emissions Licence. The European Union (Industrial Emissions) Regulations have amended the First Schedule of the EPA Acts to state which activities are licensable in accordance with Annex I of the Industrial Emissions Directive and will require an Industrial Emissions Licence.