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21
Town Planning
Observations were made by the Department on 70 (90) plans submitted to the Council under the
Town and Country Planning Act 1962.
Clean Air
Until the end of March, 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, N.W.1.
*Rutherford School, Penfold Street, N.W.8.
"Newstead", Greville Place, N.W.6, and
*Paddington District Office, 313 Harrow Road. W.9.
Larger particles of grit and dust were collected and measured in standard deposit gauges placed
at:
Bessborough Street Day Nursery, S.W.1.
Farm Street Depot, W.1.
Winchelsea House, St. John's Wood Road, N.W.8.
Maternal and Child Welfare Centre, 283A Harrow Road, W.9.
Arrangements for these measurements are made in conjunction with the Warren Spring Laboratory
of the Ministry of Technology, who supervise the National Survey of Air Pollution. With a view to
possible economy they were consulted as to the practicability of closing some of these stations
without adverse effect on the National Survey; as a result six of the 11 stations mentioned above
were discontinued and only those marked with an asterisk were operated from 1st April, 1968.
Two sequential fog samplers at Anson House and Westminster Council House are still being used.
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 smog is imminent or at the request of the Medical
Research Council.
The City Council's programme for smoke control areas continues to be implemented and it is
gratifying to record that the amount of smoke in the City's atmosphere is now about one-third of
what it was when the programme was embarked upon. Smoke Control Orders for Westminster
(Maida Vale North) and for Westminster (Maida Vale South) came into operation on 1st July and
1st December respectively. Three Orders still to be made to complete the programme were
scheduled for 1968 but deferred for twelve months in view of the national economic situation.
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 used in the City to provide
heating to offices, flats and shops and in addition to the usual smoke problems, they also 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 achieved in remedying this kind of nuisance. During the year, the Smoke
Control Officer made 258 (288) visits in connection with complaints, 384 (331) smoke observations
and 907 (912) 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 gases
are discharged so as not to inconvenience persons working and living nearby. During 1968 a total
of 82 (71) such notifications were received, of which 17 (27) included application for the Council's
approval of the new boilers.
Housing Acts 1957-1964—Inspectorate
A specialist group of public health inspectors deal with work under the provisions of the Housing
Acts relating to slum clearance, houses in multiple occupation, and the improvement of dwellings,