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The provisions of this section were considered by the appropriate officers and it was
again decided that the Borough Engineer and Medical Officer of Health should jointly examine
any proposals and plans submitted and report to the Works Committee accordingly.
The object of examining plans for a new industrial chimney is to ensure that the
discharge from it will not cause an appreciable deterioration in the health and amenities
of the district around it.
There are five points to be considered in detail:-
(1) Down-draught.
(2) Down-wash.
(3) Number of chimneys serving the complete installation containing furnaces from
which flue gases are to be discharged.
(4) Estimated maximum concentrations at which gases and suspended fine particles
from the chimney will reach the ground.
(5) Estimated maximum rate of deposit on the ground of grit, soot and dust discharged
from the chimney.
Sections 11 to 15 Inclusive. Smoke Control Areas.
Section 11 of the Act enables local authorities to establish smoke control areas
by means of Orders confirmed by the Minister and Sections 12 to 15 provide for the adaptations
of fireplaces in private dwellings, exchequer contributions etc. Two or more local authorities
may combine for the purpose of establishing a smoke control area.
The effect of a Smoke Control Order, broadly speaking, is to prohibit entirely the
emission of smoke from chimneys in the area; but the provisions of the Act are flexible and
allow for adaptation in local circumstances. Smoke control areas may be completely smokeless
areas or they may be areas, perhaps larger in extent, in which certain classes of buildings
only are subject to control, or in which certain buildings are exempt, so that the area as a
whole will not be entirely smokeless.
The establishment of smoke control areas will necessarily be gradual, it will need
to be undertaken in stages and over a period of years. Progress will be governed by the
supply of smokeless fuels, the rate at which appliances can be converted or replaced and
the rate at which the Council is able to formulate and carry through its smoke control plans.
Section l(Jf Smoke Nuisances.
This section provides that smoke other than
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(c) smoke emitted from a chimney of a private dwelling; or
(d) dark smoke emitted from the chimney of a building or from a chimney serving
the furnace of a boiler or industrial plant attached to a building or for
the time being fixed to or installed on any land,
shall, if it is a nuisance to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, be deemed to be a
Statutory nuisance within the meaning of Part III of the Public Health Act, 1936.
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