New licensing scheme for petrol stations 5/10/14
The way petrol filling stations are licensed is to be scrapped.
A new scheme is being introduced from this month.
At present fuel stations have to obtain a licence for the storage of petrol from the Comhairle. The Comhairle can impose conditions that the petrol retailer is legally obliged to obey.
This has been replaced with a fuel operators requiring a storage certificate which is based on a national standardised set of rules with no added local conditions.
The certificate lasts forever unless significant alterations are made at the petrol pumps or the site closes.
Enforcement will concentrate on mainstream health and safety laws rather than breaches of the local licence conditions.