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Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) Order, 1959.
This Order, which came into operation on the 17th
July 1959, exempts from the provisions of section 11 of
the Clean Air Act, 1956 (which relate to smoke control
areas), furnaces installed on or after the 31st December
1956, which are equipped with mechanical stokers and do
not burn pulverised fuel provided they are installed,
maintained and operated so as to minimise the emission of
smoke and provided they use fuels for which the mechanical
stoker was designed. In an accompanying Circular the
Minister pointed out the desirability for local authorities
to exempt on similar conditions under Section 11(3) of
the Act all coal burning furnaces fired by mechanical
stokers which are capable of working as smokelessly in
smoke control areas as those exempted by the Order, but
which were installed before 31st December 1956.
It became necessary, therefore, to give consideration
to the advisability of exempting the furnaces at the
Council's Sydenham Hill Estate. In view, however, of
the complaints which had been received in the past of the
emission of smoke and soot from the chimney and the
difficulties which had been experienced in operating this
plant smokelessly it was decided to seek expert guidance
and the assistance of the National Industrial Fuel
Efficiency Service was sought. The report of their
engineer indicated that some modification would be
necessary in order to comply with the requirements of the
Clean Air Act and recommended that a full investigation
with combustion efficiency tests should be carried out.
In the circumstances, the furnaces were not exempted
from the Smoke Control Order and arrangements were made
for the suggested investigation to be undertaken prior to
making any alterations to the plant.
New Furnaces
Two applications were received for prior approval to
the installation of new furnaces under the provisions of
Section 3 of the Clean Air Act, 1956. In both cases the
plans and specifications were for furnaces which were
capable of being operated continuously without emitting
smoke when burning fuel of a type for which the furnaces
were designed, and the applications were therefore approved
by the Council.