Guidance

RSR generic developed principles: regulatory assessment

Principles setting out what the Environment Agency expects from permit holders carrying out radioactive substances activities.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

These generic developed principles on regulatory assessment for radioactive substances activities are divided into 8 sections:

  • management and leadership for the environment
  • radioactive substances management (including waste disposal)
  • radiological protection – people and the environment
  • site evaluation
  • engineering principles
  • emergency preparedness and response
  • decommissioning
  • contaminated land and groundwater

Each section is covered by a separate document on this page.

Review of RSR guidance on environmental principles

We are reviewing and updating all of our radioactive substances regulation (RSR) guidance.

We have withdrawn the document ‘Radioactive Substances Regulation – Environmental Principles, Regulatory Guidance Series, No. RSR 1’. These generic developed principles on regulatory assessment were formerly part of RSR 1. Over time, we plan to incorporate them into topic-specific guidance as we carry out our guidance updates.

We have published a new document called Radioactive substances regulation objective and principles and this replaces the RSR fundamental principles that were part of RSR 1.

We have also withdrawn the generic developed principles on regulatory process that were part of RSR 1 and these are no longer part of our current guidance.

We have withdrawn ‘Management and leadership for the environment: generic developed principles’, it has been replaced by RSR: Guidance for leadership and management at nuclear sites.

Updates to this page

Published 1 December 2021
Last updated 30 March 2026 show all updates
  1. 'Management and leadership for the environment: generic developed principles', has been withdrawn and replaced by RSR: Guidance for leadership and management at nuclear sites.

  2. The Environment Agency has withdrawn the generic developed principles for decommissioning - they no longer form part of their guidance. They have replaced these principles with guidance for nuclear sites undergoing decommissioning.

  3. First published.

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