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36
South Eastern Gas Board — Gasworks at Bell Green
Over a period of many years complaints have been received of
nuisance from the emission of smoke, grit and fumes from the gasworks
at Bell Green. Complaints continued to be received in the early part
of 1953 and it was decided that observations on the quantity and
quality of the emissions should be made by the council's sanitary
inspectors. As a result of these observations it was not possible to
prove that there was any contravention of the byelaws (which only
permit of action where black smoke is emitted in the aggregate of two
minutes in a halfhourly period).
The South Eastern Gas Board and its predecessors the South
Suburban Gas Co. have been aware of the complaints, and over a
period of years various alterations to the plant and the general
management of the gasworks have been carried out with a view to
minimising nuisances which may be caused.
In order to secure a full discussion on this matter, the South
Eastern Gas Board received a deputation consisting of the MP for the
West Division of Lewisham and representatives of the Council and its
officers. The nature of the complaints, together with other factors
attributed to the nuisance experienced from the gasworks, were
discussed with the Board's representatives; a detailed inspection of
the works was made and the Board's representatives gave information
as to the measures carried out and under consideration to secure
amelioration of any nuisance. As a result of the inspection the deputation
were impressed with the efforts which had been made, particularly by
the installation of grit arrestors and the gravelling of a large area of the
Works, but considered that the horizontal retort houses were responsible
for the majority of the complaints. The Board's representatives
admitted that a considerable amount of smoke and dust was caused
every time one of the horizontal retorts was charged, but said that a
new form of charging machine had been ordered, which if successful,
would be installed to replace all the present charging machines. In view
of the extremely high cost, which could result in an increase in the price
of gas to consumers, no guarantee could be given to replace all the
horizontal retorts by vertical retorts, before the former were worn out.
At the meeting I submitted a statement which (omitting the history)
can be precised as follows
General data
The works have been in existence about a hundred years. They
are the third largest works south of the Thames. They handle approximately
1,000 tons of coal a day and about 500 tons of coke are
despatched from them each day. The River Pool runs through the
gasworks and a large amount of water is abstracted from it daily. This is
used for various processes. Water is also abstracted from wells and all
the water after use is returned to the river through some half dozen
effluents. The Works are in the Sydenham East ward and have a
large concentration of population to their south and west. There is
the large Bellingham estate on the east and northeast, but as far as the