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Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) Regulation, 1956, declared the following
to be authorised fuels for the purposes of the Act: anthracite,
briquetted fuels carbonised in the process of manufacture, coke, electricity,
gas, low temperature carbonisation fuels and low volatile steam coals.
The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) Order, 1957, provides
that fireplaces especially designed or adapted for combustion of
liquid fuel shall, provided they are so installed, maintained and operated
as to minimise emission of smoke, be exempt from the provision of
Section 11 of the Act which relates to smoke control areas.
Smoke Control Areas. There are powers in the Clean Air Act
which, even if nothing else were done, will prevent the situation deteriorating.
The domestic chimney was excluded from the effects of Section
104 (2) of the Public Health Act, 1956, which enabled building byelaws
to require the provision in new buildings of such arrangements for heating
or cooking as are calculated to prevent or reduce the emission of smoke.
Section 24 of the Clean Air Act enables local authorities to make building
byelaws to extend this requirement to private houses. The Minister
prepared model byelaws which were adopted by tue Council at their
meeting on March 15th. As to industrial smoke. Section 3 of the Act
requires all new furnaces (except domestic) to be capable of being operated
continuously without emitting smoke when burning fuel of a type for
which they were designed. Section 10 enables authorities to control the
height of chimneys (not of residences, shops or offices) so as to prevent
smoke, grit and dust and gases from being prejudicial to health or a
nuisance.
The chief provisions of the Act of which use will be made in this district
are those relating to the designation of smoke control areas. These will
be areas in which it would be a punishable offence to allow the emission
of smoke (subject to the defence that the emission followed the use of an
authorised fuel). The intention is that certain parts of the area shall be
so established, later to be linked-up with others, in time to cover much of
the district. In making such an order, the authority may limit its operation
to specified classes of building, and may exempt specified fireplaces or
classes of fireplace. An early step in the procedure is full publicity and
the Minister holds a public enquiry.
Those living in an area which is the subject of an order, are entitled
to financial assistance towards the cost of converting the grates to types
which will consume smokeless fuel, owners or occupiers of private dwelhngs
qualifying for payments up to 7/10ths of the approved expenditure
(hut not in respect of houses built after the 5th July, 1956, when the Act
was passed).
A number of authorities have already taken action to establish smoke
control areas. Many have chosen areas which are about to be developed.
In this district it was thought that a start might have been made on the
area to be developed on the site covered by the Northolt Road clearance
scheme. As, however, there will be no large development here for some
years, a start will probably be made in some other already built-up area,
his could with advantage be one of the residential parts of the south
ttest of the district. The high proportion of coke used for domestic