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ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
The Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations, 1958 provide the maximum
period for the emission of dark smoke from industrial plants; black smoke is
limited to not more than two minutes in the aggregate in any period of 30 minutes.
Action Has not called for in respect of any industrial plant in the
borough.
The Council continue to operate at the Civic Centre instruments for the
daily measurement of air pollution. In connection with the National Survey of
Air Pollution regular observations commenced in 1962 at four additional sites.
The types of district in which the sites are situate are (i) residential with
high population density (Bennett Road. Chadwell Heath), (ii) residential with
low population density (Thompson Road), (iii) industrial (Ford Motor Company)
and (iv) smoke control area (Marks Gate).
Smoke Control Areas
The Council agreed in principle in 1959 to include the whole borough in
Smoke Control Areas as soon as possible and, in any case, in not more than 10
years. The programme was drawn up to provide each year an area containing about
3,000 houses and was originally planned to include all houses in the borough by
1970. The progress up-to-date is indicated below:-
Order No. No. of Houses Date of Operation
1 1,000 (Marks Gate) 1st September, 1959
2 3,722 (l.C.C. estate) 1st November, 1961
3 3,230 ( " ) 1st November, 1962
4 4,562 ( " ) 1st November, 1963
5 1,542 (Chadwell Heath) 1st August, 1964
6 3,046 (L.C.C. estate) 1st November, 1964
The extent of the work involved is indicated in that during the year
13,685 visits to premises have been paid by the inspectors.
It is pleasing to report that the rate of progress envisaged in the original
programme has been more than maintained; so far 17,102 houses out of a total of
nearly 32,000 houses in the borough have been included in Smoke Control Orders.
A Government circular received in December, 1963 indicated that supplies of
gas coke may not be available for future areas and hard coke is likely to be the
only solid smokeless fuel in plentiful supply in coming years. It will, therefore,
be necessary to install openable stoves or under-floor draught open fires
if solid fuel is the tenant's choice. This will result in a considerable increase
in the cost of appliances and installation and will undoubtedly slow down the
progress of the work. At the time of writing this report the many problems which
may result from the installation of the limited types of openable stoves now
available have not yet been resolved to enable a reasonably accurate estimate of
cost to be submitted to the Council for the next area in the programme.
As has been done in past areas an empty London County Council house in the
No. 4 Area was used to demonstrate the burning of Gloco in the grates of the two
ground floor rooms. A fairly large number of residents from the neighbourhood
visited the house during the three days of the demonstration.
NOISE ABATEMENT ACT, 1960
Section 1 of the Act makes noise or vibration which is a nuisance, a
statutory nuisance under the Public Health Act, 1936. Eight complaints during
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