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15
Shelter.
It was not necessary during the year to make use of the shelter accommodation provided at No.
217, Lisson Grove, under Section 195 (4) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, for families
temporarily dispossessed of their homes. The room set aside for this purpose was, however, utilised
for other public health work.
Air Pollution.
Complaints about smoke were received on 53 occasions and the number of contraventions of the
Clean Air Act, 1956, detected was 42.
Dark smoke was timed on 61 occasions and in 24 cases the emissions exceeded the limits prescribed
in the Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations, 1958, thus infringing Section 1 of the Clean Air
Act. Smoke from the chimneys of buildings in Smoke Control Areas contravening Section 11 of the
Act was observed 7 times and smoke nuisances within the meaning of Section 16 were found on
11 occasions. The offences were dealt with by means of verbal cautions, letters and statutory notices
and it was not necessary to institute legal proceedings in any case.
Notifications of the intention to install new furnaces given under Section 3 of the Clean Air Act
totalled 26. In 5 cases the Council's approval for the purposes of Section 3 of the relative plans and
specifications was sought and given.
On 1st October, 1964, the St. Marylebone (No. 7: Wards 6 and 9) Smoke Control Order, 1963, became
operative. A Smoke Control Order in respect of Church Street Ward including the former Bell Street
Ward was made by the Council on 18th June, 1964. The Order was confirmed without modification
by the Minister of Housing and Local Government on 31st December, 1964. This eighth Order, which
will come into operation on the 1st October, 1965, completes the Council's Smoke Control programme
as planned. After that date the emission of smoke caused by the use of fuels, including bituminous
coal, other than authorised fuels from the chimneys of buildings will be prohibited throughout the
Borough except for smoke from chimneys serving heating installations in respect of which legal
exemption has been given.
Approximately 34,832 units of occupation are affected including 671 industrial establishments,
6,531 commercial premises, 26,321 dwellings and 1,309 premises occupied for professional and
miscellaneous purposes.
Co-operation with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was continued throughout
the year and for the purpose of the National Survey of Air Pollution instruments were maintained at
the Town Hall, Greville Place, Penfold Street and Oxford Street. The concentrations of smoke and
sulphur dioxide measured by the instruments are recorded in Monthly Summaries and Annual Tables
of Observations compiled at Warren Spring Laboratory, Stevenage, Herts, and published by the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Offices and Shops.
Although the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act was published in July, 1963, the main
provisions did not come into operation until the 1st August, 1964. The intention of the Act is to
secure the health, safety and welfare of persons employed to work in office, shop and certain railway
premises, and amends for this purpose certain sections of the Factories Act, 1961. Enforcement of
the Act is divided between local authorities, H.M. Factory Inspector and local fire authorities, and
although initial demarcation difficulties were experienced these have in the main been resolved.
To eliminate visits to the same premises by both the factory inspector and the public health inspector,
H.M. Inspector of Factories is responsible for offices and shops forming part of factory premises.
However, there remains a possibility of duplication as the situation now arises where the public
health inspector visits factories to enforce the Sanitary Accommodation Regulations, 1938, and if
there is an office or shop within the factory the Factory Inspector can visit the same accommodation
for the purposes of the Offices and Shops legislation.
In St. Marylebone where almost one-third of the total hereditaments come within the scope of the
Act enforcement becomes a major task. The Act requires the employer at all existing and proposed
premises to register with the appropriate authority. Although in an analysis of rateable value provided
by Inland Revenue, 7,688 premises are shown of the classification coming within the scope of the Act,
to date only 3,337 registrations have been made. Towards the end of the year a system was adopted of
block surveys to discover premises for which registration has not been sought.
During the year, 1,752 premises were surveyed and, as was to be expected, some instances were
found where conditions were below standard and the service of 58 informal notices was necessary.
Occupiers must be given a reasonable period in which to convert their premises to the standard visualized