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47.
SMOKE CONTROL AREAS (contd.)
Future Smoke Control Areas:
It is the Council's intention to proceed with the development of Smoke
Control Areas according to our phased programme, and a preliminary survey
has been conducted of the Wenlock Smoke Control Area which comprises the
land to the West of New North Road and Pitfield Street. It is expected that
this matter will be brought before the Council early in 1961.
Industry :
Smoke from industrial sources in the Borough is still of significant
proportions but the larger plant such as boiler houses for central heating
are reasonably efficient and reasonably smokeless. The local problem to be
faced, peculiar to Shoreditch, is the pollution caused by the burning of
sawdust and other wood waste in the small workshops to be found around the
heart of the Borough.
The first group of these factories falls within the Pitfield Smoke
Control Area and will be required to adopt smokeless means of heating for the
winter of 1961/2.
Railways:
The railway only affects Shoreditch as far as the Broad Street lines are
concerned, and it is noticed that there are very few steam locomotives being
used for either goods or passenger traffic from this station. The railways
modernisation scheme is rapidly replacing the steam locomotive with either
electric or deisel tractors, and it is gratifying to note that pollution is
greatly reduced by their use.
Road Vehicles:
For some years now it has been noticed that many of the heavy vehicles
passing through the Borough produce volumes of dark smoke. Observations
suggest that this has become a very serious factor in the atmospheric
pollution problem, a view which is confirmed by the Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research.