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Towards the close of the year, the Public Health Committee
had under consideration complaints from residents living in the
vicinity of an industrial site in Chelmsford Road, N.14, concerning
alleged noise nuisance.
Air Pollution
During the year under review, no contraventions of the Dark
Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations were observed in any of
the industrial premises in the neighbourhood.
With regard to pollution from domestic premises, further
progress was made in the implementation of the Council's programme
in respect of Smoke Control Orders.
The Council's No. 3 Smoke Control Order came into operation
on 1st October. In this connection, much time and considerable
effort were entailed during the greater part of the year in dealing
with numerous applications from residents for financial grants under
the Clean Air Act, 1956, towards the conversion or adaptation of
their fireplaces to enable them to avoid contravening the Order
by emitting smoke from the chimneys of their premises. All applications
had individually to be examined, advice given to applicants
on their choice of fuel appliance, information as to the amount of
grant to which they were entitled, and in each case the conversions
and adaptations inspected to ensure that they were carried out to
the satisfaction of the Council.
Despite reminders to residents that, in order to obtain a grant
a firm order for works to be carried out had to be given by 30th
September, many left their applications to the last few days. The
effect of this was to place an extremely heavy burden on the staff
coping with these late applications and at the same time causing
inconvenience to the applicants themselves. Due to strenuous efforts
on the part of the staff generally and in particular of Mr. R. L.
Burkill, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, all applications were
ultimately dealt with.
A further step in the implementation of the Council's programme
was the preliminary work done in the early part of the
year in respect of the Council's No. 4 Smoke Control Order. This
culminated in July in the submission of the requisite information by
the Council to the Ministry of Housing Local Government for
confirmation of the Order. The Minister's confirmation, without
modification, was received on the 19th November. Between this
date and the end of the year, many residents took advantage of
the relatively mild winter and following submission of and approval
to their applications for grant aid, put in hand the work of converting
or adapting their fireplaces to enable them to conform to
the Order. The date of operation of the Order is fixed at 1st
October, 1964.
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