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Clean air act approval

Prohibiting Dark Smoke

A chimney serving a building should not produce dark smoke during normal operation.  In addition, industrial or trade premises (including site clearance, demolition or construction) should not produce dark smoke. 

Residents should avoid burning waste, in addition to normal domestic recycling and waste collection the Council also provides routine green (garden) waste collection.

If you are a non-domestic activity and are planning to burn controlled waste you should consult with Natural Resources Wales first.

If it is permissible and you do intend to burn material you should ensure it is done safely and without hazard (including any hazard to road traffic caused by smoke), does not pose a risk to the environment and does not cause a nuisance to others.

Approval for certain ‘Furnaces’ and ‘Chimneys’

Certain types of Furnaces (this can have a broad meaning and may include certain boilers) and Chimneys may require approval from the Local Authority before they can be installed or used.

If you are going to have installed a non-domestic furnace at your premises you may need to notify the Council first.  You can make contact by using the email address at the bottom of this webpage or otherwise write to the Council’s Public Health and Protection Department.  Initially you should include in your notification the following information

  • The nature of the proposed furnace
  • The fuel that will be used by the proposed furnace and
    • If the fuel is a pulverised fuel
    • If a solid fuel, the burn rate (in kgHr-1) of the fuel by the proposed furnace
    • If a liquid or gaseous fuel, the rating (in kW) of the proposed furnace
    • A brief explanation as to how the proposed furnace will be so far as practicable capable of being operated without emitting smoke

Depending on the information provided you may be asked to provide additional in-depth detail, including that pertinent to the chimney serving the proposed furnace.  Depending upon the proposal, it may be necessary to make an application to the Council for prior approval under the Clean Air Act.  Any notification or application requirements or subsequent approval given under the Clean Air Act are separate from the development control process and any proposal, where necessary, will still be required to obtain the relevant planning consent.

It may be the case that the operation of certain types of combustion units would require an Environmental Permit in advance, you should check with the relevant Regulating Authority in case the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations apply to your proposal.

Smoke Control Areas

A Smoke Control Area is a legally designated area where it may not be permitted to emit smoke from certain settings and only authorised fuels can be used.  Currently there are no Smoke Control Area’s declared within Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.  However, sensible measures should be followed to avoid producing discernible smoke and smoke should not be allowed to cause a hazard or give nuisance to others.

Cable Burning

Where attempting to recover the metal, you should not burn coated cable unless you have authorisation from a Regulating Authority.