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and the height and length of the building to which the chimney is attached.
The height so obtained is intended as a guide rather than a mathematically
precise answer. It needs to be interpreted in the light of other factors
such as ground contours and the height and disposition of any neighbouring
tall buildings.
Section 10 of the Clean Air Act, which gives Local Authorities power
to reject the plans if the chimneys are not sufficiently high, unfortunately
expressly excludes from its application, residences, shops and
offices. This omission is particularly important in this Borough where
factory chimneys are rarely constructed but new blocks of shops and offices
are very common. Central heating boilers in such blocks are often oilfired,
with chimneys terminating a few inches above a flat roof. Sulphur
dioxide emissions in such circumstances are likely to give rise to
nuisances in upper storeys of the building and in nearby buildings due to
"down-wash" of fumes caused by air currents flowing over the top and down
the sides of the building.
In order to safeguard the health of office workers and other occupants
of tall buildings, this problem will need to be given careful
attention, particularly in view of the imminent redevelopment of the town
centre. Architects should seriously consider how the standards laid down
in the memorandum oan be achieved. In view of the likelihood of heights
above roof line of twenty feet and more being required, the design of
the chimney must obviously be considered at an early stage. It is without
question that health must always take precedence over visual amenity,
but it is hoped that architects will accept the challenge and design
chimneys which are acceptable in appearance.
Recording of Atmospheric Pollution. Instruments are maintained on
the Guildhall roof and at Tiffin Girls® School for the recording of smoke
and sulphur dioxide by the volumetric method. The advantage of this
method over the deposit gauge is that it is possible to obtain daily
readings of pollution and to observe more closely the effects of weather
conditions on the state of the atmosphere. The following tables and graphs
indicate the results obtained. Starke and sulphur dioxide are expressed in
mierogranes per cubic metre.