London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Greenwich 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]

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58
Within the Borough a Smoke Inspector and an Assistant are
employed full time on duties in connection with atmospheric pollution
and with the surveying and supervising of smoke control
areas.
Under Section 11 of the above-mentioned Act, detailed inspection
was completed of the Council's third smoke control area which
obtained Ministry approval on the 12th March, 1962.
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.
Circular 1/61 issued by the Minister of Housing and Local
Government modified the requirements contained in paragraph 42
of his Memorandum of 1956 on Smoke Control Areas in that it
is no longer necessary for the Council to notify the Minister of their
proposals for a Smoke Control Order, as detailed in (i) above,
before formally submitting it for his approval.
Advice to householders was proffered by the Minister in his
Circular 28/61 regarding the importance of installing firebars
sufficiently widely spaced to enable coke to be burned satisfactorily
and he indicated that replacements by suitable bars would now
rank for grant. In his Circular 31/61 the Minister has also stated that
now methods of ignition by electricity have been developed, these
will rank for grant in a similar way to those of gas.
The Greenwich No. 3 Smoke Control Order, 1961, which
becomes operative on the 1st October, 1962, covers an area of some
49 acres and concerns 891 dwellings and 62 other premises, most
of which have apparatus requiring alteration. The accompanying
plan indicates the area concerned.