Introduction to the Seveso III Directive

A new Directive on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances known as Seveso III was published on 24 July 2012 by the European Commission. It amended and subsequently repealed the Seveso II Directive on 1 June 2015.

The Seveso III Directive is implemented in Great Britain through the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 and through planning legislation which is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.

The land use planning requirements of the Seveso III Directive will be implemented through amended planning legislation by the DCLG and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales and will come into force on the same date.

The Seveso III Directive addresses the consequences to the regulation of major accident hazard sites of the repeal of the Dangerous Substances Directive and Dangerous Preparations Directive (implemented in GB as the CHIP Regulations) and their replacement with European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures implemented in GB as the CLP Regulation.

The Seveso III Directive does not fundamentally alter the regulatory regime laid out in Seveso II but does strengthen a number of areas such as public access to information and standards of inspections.