Request for WQE documents: AN/PRNNF12631/001
Case reference EIR2026/47201
Received 1 October 2026
Published 2 October 2026
Request
Response
Information Provided
Please find the old discharge consent permit attached to this response.
PRNNF12631 is a historic discharge consent permit. I have attached it as we do hold a copy but this discharge is now covered by the General Binding Rules for small sewage discharges to a surface water instead General binding rules: small sewage discharge to a surface water - GOV.UK. The discharge started before 1st Jan 2015 so provided the operator can comply with all the ‘Rules that apply to all discharges’, they do not require a permit, and the former water quality exemption does not need to be transferred to a new owner.
It is up to the operator to ensure they can comply with all the General Binding Rules that apply to them. If they cannot, the preferred option would be to connect to the foul sewer or apply for a permit.
Please refer to the Open Government Licence, which explains the permitted use of this information.
Information Warnings
(i) Personal Data in the information is exempt from the Open Government Licence.
(ii) It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that data they hold is accurate and up to date.
Personal Data within the Document
We are unable to disclose the signature within the attached documentation, as this is personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and to disclose it would breach the First Data Protection Principle of the DPA 2018. Any such information is therefore exempt under Regulation 13(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, which explains that:
"To the extent that the information requested includes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject, a public authority must not disclose the personal data if — (a) the first condition is satisfied..."
The 'first condition' referred to above is further explained in Regulation 13(2)(a):
"The first condition is that the disclosure of the information to a member of the public otherwise than under these Regulations — (a) would contravene any of the data protection principles..."
It is our view that some of the information requested would identify individuals, and that its disclosure would therefore contravene the First Data Protection Principle of the Data Protection Act 2018. The First Data Protection Principle requires that we are fair to individuals when we collect, hold and use their personal data. In this case it would be unfair to disclose information that would identify individuals who have a reasonable expectation that such information held by the Environment Agency would remain confidential.
Rights of Appeal
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If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you can then make an appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office, the statutory regulator for the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please follow this link to the ICO online complaints portal. The address is: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.
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Documents
This is Environment Agency's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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