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25
ATMOSHERIC POLLUTION
Smoke Control Areas
Further progress has been made during 1964 to accelerate the Council's
original Smoke Control Programme phased for completion in 1967. The whole
Borough will be under complete smoke control by September 1965 providing the
Minister approves the last Smoke Control Area in the Moorfields Ward, and thus
two years will be clipped off the seven years programme, completing in five
years what was origninally estimated to take seven years
The Sioreditch (Haggerston) Smoke Control Order was confirmed on the 11th
December 1963 and become operative on the 1st September 1964 and comprises
Area Nos 6 and 7 on the Map
The final Smoke Control Area (Area No. 8 on the Map) was resolved by the
Council on the 1st December 1964 and is awaiting Ministerial confirmation
Details of the numbers of applications received this year for the adapta
tion and replacement of fireplaces together with the number of conversions
completed during the year are hereunder enumerated:-
Applications Approved Conversions completed
483 545
in respect of 543 fireplaces
Future Additional Grants for approval appliances
The Ministry, having recognised the need for appliances capable of
burning efficiently the less popular types of smokeless fuels, have authorised
the Council to pay a higher grant to owners or occupiers of dwellings covered
in future smoke control programmes in respect of certain types of appliances
capable of burning the inferior and cheaper types of fuels efficiently, and as
a result grants may be made on openable stoves to encourage occupiers to burn
these inferior types of fuels as opposed to the premium fuels which are in
short supply and cost more.
So far as electric space heating is concerned grants may now only be paid
in future smoke control areas in respect of electric storage heaters and no
grants will be paid on any other form of electric fire.
Deliveries of small quantities of solid smokeless fuels
The problem of obtaining regular small supplies of solid smokeless fuel
particularly in blocks of flats where there are no lifts is a very real problem
and a deterrent to those living therein to use solid fuel for space heating.
The fact that accommodation for the storage of solid fuel in blocks of
flats throughout the Borough is very limited is one salient cause of this vexed
problem together with the fact that those delivering the fuel are very reticent
to carry it to dwellings above the first floor, and this is perhaps very
understandable.
Shoreditch is not alone in this problem and it is common throughout the
whole Country where circumstances are similar the only solution would seem
to be the siting of automatic vending machines in convenient places so as to
enable all occupiers of houses and flats to obtain small quantities of fuel at
reasonable price as and when required Such facilities are available and
such machines are already on the market and it is suggested that very serious
consideration should be given to solving this problem for those desirous of
burning solid smokeless fuel