View report page

- 24 -
(i) refuse payment of grant for the installation of an
improved open grate;
(ii) extend grant to cover the replacement of an existing
approved grate by other appliances;
(iii) treat the provision of "other appliances", Such as
openable stoves, under-floor-draught open fires and
fixed gas, electric storage and oil heaters as
"reasonably necessary" works so that the full expenditure
on these installations (if comparable with the
cost of appliances of the same type installed in local
authority dwellings) can rank for grant.
13. Where the Council is advised that supplies will be available:-
(i) grant will continue to be paid as usual for the
installation of improved open grates;
(ii) encouragement should, however, be given to householders
to choose some other" form of space heating as in A(iii)
above, which would attract higher grant.
These directives will modify the principles previously observed
in determining which works are "reasonably necessary" and rank for grant.
The Circular suggested, where it is not possible to ascertain
the 'Notional Cost1 of providing these more expensive 'other appliances',
that the 'Notional Cost' be taken as £25 for each room in which appliances
in regular use would have required works of adaptation.
The Circular drew attention to the amendments of the Clean Air
Act proposed in the Housing Bill, as follows:-
(i) that grant be payable towards the conversion of open
grates in dwellings constructed or produced by conversion
between 1956 and 1964- which previously had been
excluded from grant- Most of these had been fitted
with open grates capable of burning smokeless fuel;
(ii) it is proposed to give local authorities and the
Exchequer a wider discretion as to the expenditure
to be taken into account for grant purposes and will
also provide that grant may be withheld for appliances
which would strain available fuel resources;
(iii) grant will be allowed on the provision of ignition
even if no other works are involved;
(iv) local authorities will be empowered to pay grant
retrospectively where expenditure is incurred without
their approval, between the date of confirmation
and date of operation of the Order.
The main effect of this new policy will be to increase the
cost and difficulty of creating Smoke Control Areas. The installation
of appliances which are now to be regarded as "reasonably necessary ''
i.e. openable stoves, under-floor-draught open fires, fixed gas fires,
electric storage heaters and fixed oil heaters, will have the effect
of substantially increasing the cost of any future areas. This is based
on the assumption that many of the existing coal users may wish to
continue to use solid fuel in openable stoves. So far as electric block
storage heaters (whose use is advocated) are concerned, the cost of
installation of two of these is £.$k to provide the same heat as an open
grate^burning gas coke^costing £?.
The following is the programme of Smoke Control Areas adopted
by the Council with the object of securing that the whole of Kensington
is controlled by 1970. The map of the borough following page 23
indicates the various areas.