View report page

27
Control Areas, etc. and the Smoke Control Areas (Authorised
Fuels) Regulations, 1956 declared certain fuels as authorised
fuels for the purposes of the Act.
A Model Byelaw making obligatory the provision of
appliances which could operate without the emission of smoke
was also issued by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
and will doubtless form the basis of the new Byelaws to be
issued by the London County Council.
As a preliminary step in preparation for the implementation
of the Act, all applicants for advances under Section 4
of the Housing Act, 1949 and for Improvement Grants, were advised
that they should make arrangements to ensure that all heating
appliances in the premises were smokeless or would be converted
to obviate any emission of smoke therefrom. Circular letters
are also sent to the Owners, Builders and Architects concerned
with all new buildings, or conversions into flats, asking for
their cooperation so as to ensure that no solid fuel appliances
in which smokeless fuel cannot be burned satisfactorily will be
fixed in new or converted houses or flats or business premises,
A list of the domestic solid fuel appliances recommended
by the Solid Smokeless Fuels Federation is sent to all applicants
on request.
In addition, the Public Health Inspectors were
instructed, when completing inspections of every type
of property, to take note of all the heating arrangements
therein. The information thus gained will be of value should the
Council decide to make a Smoke Control Zone.
Various of your Inspectors have also attended a
special course run by the Coal Utilisation Council at which
latest developments in approved types of firegrate for use
with smokeless fuels were described and demonstrated, while
five of the Public Health Inspectors are undertaking a course
of study with a view to qualifying as Smoke Inspectors.
Many houses in Hampstead are used for single room
occupation and, as would be expected, it is unusual to find
solid fuel appliances used in rooms so let. Gas and electric
fires are mainly used and I believe that the number of such
houses in the Borough is so great as to have a sensible effect,
not only on present air pollution, but on the extent and cost
of future proposals for elimination of domestic smoke.