View report page

17
Town Planning
During 1972 there was a considerable increase in the number of plans submitted to the Council under
the Town and Country Planning Acts 1962/1968.
Observations were made by the Health Department on 482 (153) plans so submitted. It is of interest to
note that in 1970 ninety-three plans were submitted to the department for observation so that in a short
period there has been a five-fold increase in the work involved.
Clean Air
Daily volumetric measurements of smoke and sulphur dioxide were taken at stations situated at the
following premises:—
Anson House, Churchill Gardens, S.W.1.
Monck Street Depot, S.W.1
London College of Fashion, Holies Street, W.1.
Westminster Council House Extension, Upper Montagu Street, W.1.
Paddington Office, 313 Harrow Road, W.9.
Arrangements for these measurements are made in conjunction with the Warren Spring Laboratory of
Department of Trade and Industry as part of the National Survey of Air Pollution.
Two sequential fog samplers operate at Anson House and Westminster Council House. They were
installed by arrangement with the Air Pollution Division of the Medical Research Council and the results
obtained are always available to them and to Warren Spring Laboratory. These instruments measure the
smoke content of smog more completely than the apparatus used for the daily measurement of smoke and
sulphur dioxide, and are switched on at the discretion of the City Council's Smoke Control Officer when
fog is imminent or at the request of the Medical Research Council.
All these measurements show a continuing decline in the concentrations of both these pollutants in the
City's air. The reduction in smoke has been particularly marked and is now only one-fifth of what it was
in the 1950's. Sulphur dioxide is also down but only by about 40%, due principally to the amount of high
sulphur content fuels still being burnt in the City. Heavy oils also often cause the smuts referred to below
and for both these reasons the Council hope that eventually legislation will be passed which will ban the use
of these fuels in the City. In the meantime the department is having some success in urging fuel users to
transfer to low-sulphur fuels and it is hoped this will help to accelerate the reduction in air-borne sulphur
dioxide.
Regular measurements of the air-borne concentration of carbon monoxide are made in all underground
garages open to the general public to ensure that no danger is occasioned to users or employees.
All undue emissions of smoke observed or reported to the Health Department are investigated and
appropriate action taken. There are many oil-fired boilers of varying sizes in the City providing heating to
offices, flats and shops and in addition to the usual smoke problems, they give rise to complaints of smuts
and odours. Unlike visible smoke, the sources of smuts and odours are more difficult to trace; nevertheless,
although these investigations are somewhat time-consuming, considerable success is being achieved in
remedying this kind of nuisance. During the year, the senior public health inspector responsible for the
control of atmospheric pollution, made 202 (204) visits in connection with complaints received, 433 (461)
smoke observations and 878 (995) routine visits.
New boiler installations notified to the Council under Section 3 of the Clean Air Act 1956 are investigated
to ensure that (a) they are capable of operating smokelessly and (b) the flue gasses are discharged
so as not to inconvenience persons working and living nearby. During 1972 a total of 75 (56) such
notifications were received, of which 10 (11) included application for the Council's approval of new boilers.
Section 6 of the Clean Air Act 1968 gives the Council control over the height of chimneys of larger
boiler installations. All new chimneys, or existing chimneys serving boilers the combustion space of which
has been enlarged, must be approved by the Council, this approval being additional to all existing planning
and constructional requirements. Eighteen (13) such applications were received, of which 1 (1) was not
approved.