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Procedure for establishing a smoke control area is laid down
and. for convenience, is divided into four stages: —
(i) the location, size of area and types of property to be
included having been decided, the Council notify the
Minister of their provisional plan;
(ii) when the Minister's approval and comments are received
a detailed survey of the area is made;
(iii) the survey having been completed the Council make an
Order and submit it to the Minister for confirmation;
(iv) after the Minister's confirmation the Council then proceed
to enforce the Order. This stage concerns the conversion
of fire grates, the payment of grants and the subsequent
claim for Exchequer contributions.
The Greenwich No. 2 Smoke Control Order, 1961, which
becomes operative on the 1st July, 1962, covers an area of some
63 acres and concerns 1,587 dwellings and 82 other premises, most
of which have apparatus requiring alteration. The accompanying
plan indicates the area concerned.
Use of Sticks and Paper in Smoke Control Areas—Circular
28160—In the general interest of progress the Minister of Housing
and Local Government has indicated in his Circular that he is
prepared to allow the use of sticks and paper for lighting fires and
suggests the use of Section 11(3) of the Act for granting exemption
in Smoke Control Areas.
Pollution Recording.—It is fitting that some mention be made
of the closing down during 1959 of the Government Fuel Research
Station at Blackwall Lane. For over 40 years this station at East
Greenwich indulged in research and development on fuels and
their uses which included valuable work in connection with smoke,
its measurement and prevention.
In 1918, one year after the Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research had appointed a Fuel Research Board "to
investigate in the broad national interest the nature, preparation,
utilization and treatment of coals and other fuels, and of products
derived from fuels", the station at Greenwich was established.
During its period of activity, the station has dealt with many
aspects of fuel research including fuel analysis, carbonization, preparation
of coal for the market, gasification of coal and coke, coal
constitution, combustion and steam raising, hydrogenation of coal
and coal tar, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, air pollution and
domestic heating. It is with the latter functions that the Public
Health department is concerned and the loss in this field of the
help and advice so readily and freely given by officers of this station
is to be regretted.