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CLEAN AIR
A table showing the position reached in the Smoke Control Programme is on page 47
Progress this year was not as good as it might have been because of the shortage of solid
smokeless fuel. I referred in my Report for 1969 to the fact that confirmation of the
No. 11 Order was likely only if operations were delayed until 1st April, 1971: in the event
the Minister of Housing and Local Government made the commencement date the 1st of
July 1971.
Indeed, during the year a step backwards was taken. Fears of serious shortage of
fuel in the winter of 1970/71 led the London Boroughs Association to recommend
constituent authorities to consider applying for suspension of Smoke Control Orders. The
Minister of Housing and Local Government agreed in Circular 63/70 that he was willing
to do this in total or part. The London Borough of Barnet Council decided to ask for
temporary suspension of 40% of existing Orders in accordance with the final recommendation
of the London Boroughs Association, such a proportion being considered adequate
to meet a calculated shortage of 17% of solid smokeless fuel. Table B shows the Orders
suspended from 10th November, 1970 until 31st March 1971. Steps were also taken to
hasten the conversion of coke fired boilers in Clinics, Homes and Schools and other
Council buildings to gas and oil firing so as to free supplies of coke for domestic use.
When an area to be recommended as a smoke control area is surveyed it is frequently
found to contain buildings whose fate is uncertain: dwellings which are unfit and await
assessment as to repair, improvement or demolition, or buildings likely to be demolished
for road improvements — the M.I. for instance. A date has to be set for recommending the
making of a Smoke Control Order but this rarely coincides with action on these other
matters. Clearly if a house has only a very short future life it would be a waste of money
to include it in the Order, pay grant for conversions to fireplaces and then to find it
shortly pulled down. On the other hand to exclude properties from the Order only to find
when in operation that the project has been abandoned or deferred, can result in an
unacceptable source of smoke in the middle of a clean air zone for years. Decision can
only be taken having regard to the best available information at that time. Recognising
this, provision is made in the Clean Air Act 1956 for varying a Smoke Control Order and
in June the Health and Welfare Committee recommend the making of a Variation Order to
remove the excmption of fireplaces in a dwelling within the area of the London Borough
of Barnet Smoke Control (No. 10) Order. The house has been included in road proposals
connected with Grahame Park but a subsequent revised plan made demolition unnecessary.
Unfortunately, the same procedures concerning publicity, display of Notices, and
advertisements in the press, opportunities for appeal etc. must be undertaken in connection
with a Variation Order as with a Smoke Control Order. This represents a lot of work —
seemingly unnecessary if the person or people concerned are themselves anxious to carry
out conversion of fireplaces with the aid of grant.
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