For your views on proposed changes to the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations. These included changes to application requirements, public participation guidance, authorisation levels for marine pen fish farms, new and updated activities, and standard conditions for waste, water and industrial activities.

We received 23 responses: 4 from individuals and 19 from businesses and organisations. Respondents provided feedback on all areas of the consultation.

We have published a Consultation Digest setting out our detailed responses to the feedback received and the actions we have taken, based on this feedback, in relation to the proposed new activities, changes to activity descriptions and amendments to Standard Conditions. We will publish a further digest addressing responses on fit and proper person requirements, public participation guidance and marine pen fish farm authorisations by 30 November 2026.

For your views on our proposed Environmental Performance Assessment Scheme (EPAS), which will provide a consistent way to assess environmental performance and support improvements in compliance.

We received 73 responses. Most respondents understood and supported the proposals, including the principles of the scheme.

We considered your feedback carefully and made several changes to strengthen and clarify the scheme. Our 'we asked, you said, we did' document summarises what you told us and the actions we’ve taken. Where permission to publish has been provided, the indvidual consultation responses are now available to view online. 

In January 2025 your views on proposed changes to enhance the opportunities for public participation and review SEPA’s Fit and Proper person test in line with the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018.

In the consultation we wanted to gather views on:

1. Proposed changes to the SEPA guidance on public participation by adding a requirement for prospective applicants to engage in public consultation at the pre-application stage in the Public Participation Statement.

2. Proposed changes to the SEPA guidance on the criteria we will apply in determining whether a person is a fit and proper person to hold a registration or permit (‘Guidance On Who Can Hold an Authorisation: ‘In Control’ and ‘Fit and Proper Person’ Tests’).

The consultation was open from 6 January 2025 to 31 March 2025.

In total, we received 55 responses to this consultation.

Overall the response to both questions was positive and in favour of the changes proposed.

Responses agreed with adding pre-application engagement to some permit applications and provided suggestions as to how best an applicant could fulfil this requirement.

On the Fit and Proper person test, responses agreed with changes around asking applicants for non environmental convictions

We carefully considered your feedback and made several changes to our guidance on public participation and the fit and proper person test.

The updated ‘Public Participation Statement’ and our guidance ‘On Who Can Hold an Authorisation: In Control and Fit and Proper Person are now available’.

We published a summary of these changes in our Consultation Digest (July 2025).