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24
The four remaining complaints were domestic in character, and
advice was given in these cases.
Chimney Heights. The Ministry of Housing and Local Government' s
Memorandum on Chimney Heights has proved useful during the year in
securing higher chimneys than originally proposed in two instances.
In the case of he new boiler plant at Kingston Hospital, a height of
120 ft. was provided for in the original design,, A calculation based
on the Memorandum indicated that this height would probably be
insufficient. The Hospital Authorities were advised to arrange for
wind tunnel tests to be made on a model of the new buildings. The
National Physical Laboratory, who carried out the tests recommended
a chimney height of 140 ft. and a modification of the chimney top to
prevent "down-wash" of fumes. It is probable that these recommendations
will be accepted,, In the other case obsolescent plant was to be replaced
by three modern oil fired boilers with independent insulated steel stacks.
Calculations showed that each stack would need to be almost as high as
the existing brick stack which was to be demolished. The boiler engineers
decided to retain the brick stack and fit an auxiliary oil burner at the
foot of the stack to prevent condensation difficulties under light operating
conditions.
Section 10 of the Clean Air Act, which gives Local Authorities
power to reject the plans of new buildings 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 oil-fired, 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 can 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