THE Portland incinerator may have won planning permission but there's another hurdle to overcome.

An environmental permit must be obtained to operate the incinerator, and there's an opportunity for people to have their say as part of a consultation process.

A final round of consultation is underway as an 'administrative error' meant some people may not have been able to submit responses previously, says the Environment Agency (EA) which issues the permits.

As reported, there's been outrage after the Government this week approved the plan for the £100 million waste to energy incinerator plant at Portland Port.

Leader of Dorset Council Nick Ireland said the decision "ignored the views of thousands of Dorset residents, who oppose the burning of waste on the Jurassic coastline for environmental, economic, and health reasons".

Weymouth and Portland town councils said they stood by their objections due to "traffic generation, pollution risks to both the environment and people, and visual impacts".

The original proposal, from Powerfuel Portland Ltd, had been rejected by Dorset Council prompting an appeal - and then a public inquiry.

READ MORE: Planning permission granted for Portland incinerator

Planning permission and environmental permits are considered entirely independently of each other, but both are needed in order for the facility to operate.

It has been stressed that the consultation the EA is is running is into whether or not an environmental permit can be granted for the incinerator to operate.

The EA says it cannot find any reason to refuse this permit application and are 'minded' to grant it. However a final decision has not been reached.

It does not look at issues around vehicle movements to and from the site, working hours and whether or not the site is suitable - all of those are matters are dealt with through the local authority planning process.

Instead permit issues include:

* Environmental regulatory requirements and technical standards

* Information on local population and sensitive sites

* Whether the right process is being used for the activity, eg. whether the technology is the right one

* Pollution control

* Impact of noise and odour from traffic on site

People who responded to the consultation that closed on August 11 do not need to send another response.

Residents and businesses that wish to make comments about the application must do so by 11.59pm on October 20 by either:

* Visiting https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/dt5-1pp-powerfuel-portland-limited-a001/

* Emailing pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk

* Post your response to: Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF.

Include the application number EPR/AP3304SZ/A001.