As expected under the conditions of the Local Enforcement Position, we have received an application from Drakelands Restoration Limited (owned by Tungsten West plc) to vary its environmental permit for Hemerdon Tungsten Mine. This means the company has asked for our permission to make a change to the mineral processing facility permit.

Because there is strong public interest in this site, we have opened a consultation on the proposed changes so that you can have your say.

Read on to find out what the applicant wishes to do, and how you can take part in this consultation.

On 7 July 2026, we issued Drakelands Restoration Limited with a Local Enforcement Position to operate a mobile crushing and screening plant at Hemerdon Tungsten Mine. You can read more about the LEP here.

Although the company has been operating the mobile plant, we were clear in the conditions of the LEP that they must apply to vary their environmental permit if they wish to continue this activity.

We have now received their permit application. We are satisfied we have the information we need to begin determining it. We would like to invite you to review the application and let us know what you think of their proposal through our formal consultation process.

What is an environmental permit?

An environmental permit sets the conditions which Drakelands must meet when operating the mine site. It covers the management and operation of the site and the control and monitoring of emissions.

The operator needs to explain how they will meet the current standards to protect human health and the environment. Their application describes the measures they will take, and we need to be satisfied they are appropriate to control the risks identified.

How do we assess an environmental permit variation application?

We assess all permit variation applications to make sure they meet the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations. When we consider a permit variation application we review the proposed changes to the design of the site, how it will be operated, the emissions it will generate (to air, water and land) and whether it will meet the required standards.

We consult professional partners, such as the local authority, where required. We also take advice on potential health impacts from Public Health England.

We also take into consideration the competence of the operator to run the facility.

What changes are being proposed?

Drakelands has applied to make the following changes to its environmental permit:

• Permanently include the new mobile front end (crushing, screening and washing operations) into the already permitted Hemerdon Mineral Processing Facility
• Extend the installation boundary to include the mobile front end.

How can you take part in the consultation on the permit application?

You can now comment on this permit variation application. The application can be viewed online on our consultation portal, Smart Citizen Engagement; please see the link below.

We can only consider issues covered by the environmental permit and can only refuse a permit application based on technical information.

Please bear in mind that we are bound by the Regulator's Code and can only refuse a permit application if we have technical evidence that the activity will cause harm to the environment or human health, and the operator cannot reduce this impact through control measures.

Please follow this link to our consultation portal:

https://consultations.environment-agency.gov.uk/pri33

We must receive your comments by 11:59pm on 11 December 2026.

You can send us your comments using our online consultation portal, Smart Citizen Engagement, or by:

Email: pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk

Post: Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway

Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF.

If you need help accessing this consultation in another format, please contact us by:

Email: DCISEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Phone: 03708 506 506

We may charge for copying costs.

What happens next?

Once the consultation closes, we will review all the comments we receive. Our permitting officers, alongside our technical specialists, will review the permit variation application and come to a draft decision.

If we decide to refuse the permit, Drakelands Restoration Ltd have the right to appeal this decision.

If we think we might issue the permit variation, we will consult you again on our draft variation and draft decision document, so you can comment on the conditions we include in the variation and understand how we have used your comments from this consultation.

We will write to you again to inform you when the consultation closes, and again to inform you of our decision. We will hold another consultation if any of the available documents changes significantly.

For general information about our permitting process please see Check if you need an environmental permit - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

For more general enquiries about our work or if you wish to be added to our mailing list for this site, please email DCISEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.