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Prior approval
No applications for prior approval under the Section 3 of the Act were received
or dealt with during the year.
Heights of chimneys.
Under Section 10 of the Act plans of new buildings, other than residences, shops or
offices, must be rejected unless the local authority are satisfied that the proposed height
of the chimney will be sufficient to prevent, as far as practicable, the smoke, grit or
gases from becoming prejudicial to health or a nuisance. Such plans are passed to
me by the Borough Surveyor for comment on this particular aspect and in two
instances during the year higher chimneys were agreed after consultation with the
architects concerned. It is to be regretted that this is the only provision in the Clean
Air Act for reducing the harmful effects of gases from chimneys. As the Section only
applies where plans have to be submitted in accordance with building byelaws it
follows that buildings which are exempt from byelaw control are also exempt from
the provisions of this Section. The Section makes no provision for requiring a higher
chimney when a small furnace with a low chimney is replaced by a different type of
furnace with much more heavily polluted flue gases. Pressure is being brought to
bear from a number of quarters to effect a change in the provisions of the Clean
Air Act, and it is to be hoped that amendments will in due course resolve the difficulties
now being experienced.
West Middlesex Clean Air Co-ordinating Committee
The three authorities fully represented on the Committee (Ealing, Feltham and
Hayes & Harlington), were joined during 1960 by officer representatives from Heston
& Isleworth and Southall, thus covering a contiguous area of over 28,000 acres with
a total population of nearly 500,000.
At a meeting of the Committee held late in the year, it was decided, having regard
to the proposed grouping of local authorities in the new Greater London Boroughs in
West Middlesex, to invite the Acton, Brentford & Chiswick, Ruislip Northwood,
Uxbridge and Yiewsley & West Drayton authorities to join the Committee. Their
replies are awaited with interest.
The Committee met three times during the year and a useful exchange of information
took place on progress being made with Smoke Control Orders in the various areas.
The Committee also discussed the desirability of achieving some uniformity of action
in dealing with applications for prior approval of furnaces under Section 3 of the
Clean Air Act, 1956, and recommended that the constituent authorities should require
certain information to be supplied and certain conditions to be satisfied in the installation
before approval is given. This procedure was adopted by this Council in July.
The Committee also considered such questions as the moisture content of solid smokeless
fuels and the prices charged for such fuels sold in small quantities in paper bags.
At the last meeting held in the year the Honorary Secretary was asked to make enquiries
about the legal powers of wholesale suppliers to enforce fixed retail sale prices,
and in the light of the information received to contact several of the larger organisations
and merchants on this matter.
The formation of this Committee and its continuance, on a somewhat wider basis,
has been fully justified and has led to a considerable degree of uniformity of action
within the area. There was also one meeting at officer level early in the year.
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