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42.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION.
Smoke Control Areas.
Two Smoke Control Orders became operative during the year (a) the
Shoreditch (Pitfield) Smoke Control Order was confirmed on 14th March 1961 and
became operative on 1st June 1962, and (b) the Shoreditch (Wenlock) Smoke
Control Order was confirmed on 26th December 1961 and became operative on 1st
September 1962. As a matter of interest there were no objections to either
of these Orders.
About one third of the Borough is now subject to Smoke Control Orders,
and it is considered that progress in the adaptation and replacement of fireplaces
in the areas confirmed is progressing to satisfaction. The attitude
of occupiers of premises in the Areas in operation is most encouraging and the
only complaints received by the Department concern the lack of choice and
supply of premium fuels. Another real problem is the lack of storage
accommodation for fuel in the majority of dwellings in this Borough, and what
is considered to be exorbitant prices of prepacked fuel in small quantities.
The details of the number of applications for adaptations and replacement
of fireplaces in the confirmed Areas together with the number of conversions
completed and the number of notices served upon owners and occupiers together
with other relevant information which may be useful and interesting is tabulated
below.
No. of applications for adaptation received 881
No. of conversions completed 385
No. of notices requiring carrying out of adaptations 789
Proposals have been sent to the Minister of Housing and Local Government
concerning the establishment of what will be known as the Shoreditch (Hoxton
and Kingsland) Smoke Control Order. It was originally intended that this area
should be submitted as two proposed Smoke Control Areas, one to become operative
in 1963 and the other in 1964 but in order to hasten the complete smoke
control programme of the Borough it has been possible to combine these two
areas into one Smoke Control Area to become operative on November 1st 1963.
By the end of the year one objection concerning the price of smokeless
fuels had been received to the proposed Area, which was submitted to the
Minister, confirmation being expected early in the New Year. When this
proposed Area becomes operative then at least two thirds of the Borough will
be fully smoke controlled and it is estimated that the whole of the Borough
will be under smoke control by 1965. This would be two years in advance of
the original programme as submitted to the Minister, thus completing the
programme in five years instead of seven.