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44
Close development. This was to be the first section of the Relief Sewer
Scheme. The next step is to provide a 21 in. sewer from the head of the
existing sewer in the allotments at the Council's Depot, Elmgrove, along
the eastern end of Masons Avenue, Byron Road, Oxford Road and
Palmerston Road, then to run as an 18in. pipe from the High Street along
Headstone Drive to Harrow View. All flow from Harrow View, north of
Headstone Drive, including some of the effluent from the Kodak
factories, will be diverted into the new sewer, the existing sewer at
Headstone Drive continuing to serve domestic properties and discharging
into the relief sewer at the High Street.
A 9in. sewer in Gordon Avenue, which for much of its length is
crushed and in need of major reconstruction, receives foul drainage from
the Service Establishments at Bentley Priory, from Aylmer Drive, part of
Uxbridge Road, The Chase, Kenneth Gardens and Chartley Avenue.
For most of the day it is full, while the sewer of The Chase surcharges.
The approval of the Minister of Housing and Local Government was
received to a proposal to construct a 12in. soil sewer in Gordon Avenue
from The Chase, some 540 yards in length in an easterly direction.
The sewage pumping station at South Vale pumps into two rising
mains. Of these, one laid about sixty years ago is disintegrating. Tenders
were accepted for replacing 363 yards of 6in. diam. rising main from South
Vale to South Hill Avenue.
Properties Not Connected to the Main Drainage System.
Amongst the forty-two units of accommodation not connected to the
general sewerage system were four properties adjoining The Grove.
Stanmore. At one time The Grove and three of these houses were drained
by private drains to septic tanks north of the Grove, thence by an overflow
drain to a lake, discharging eventually to the River Colne. When The
Grove was put to its present use, the drainage for it and other buildings
in the ground was diverted to a new pumphouse and rising main. The
satisfactory arrangement would be for the houses to be connected to The
Grove drainage system which discharges via a rising main to the public
sewer on Stanmore Common. The difficulty to this solution was the
reluctance of the owners of these properties to surrender their rights to
permanent drainage to the septic tanks in return for what might prove to
be a temporary form of main drainage. The difficulty could be got over
it the Council would agree to assuming responsibility for the pumping
station at The Grove and the rising main running from it to the main
sewer, and to grant to the owners of the houses the right to use the main
for the conveyance of their domestic sewage. The Public Health Committee
were concerned both because of their desire to see the end of the use of
some septic tanks, and indirectly because of the effect on river pollution.
The toilets at the Headstone Lane Station discharge into a cess-pool
which from time to time has given rise to a nuisance. The British Transport
Commission were anxious to obtain a connection to a main drainage
system. This would have necessitated obtaining an easement over private
property, involving the consent of several owners of property who are
jointly responsible for the maintenance and repair of the sewer. The