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105
New Houses Erected by Private Enterprise.
During 1923, 41 new houses were erected by private enterprise
on the remaining sites of what is known as the Battersea Rise
Estate (Broomwood Road, Chatto Road, Wisley Road). In
addition to these three houses were erected in Sudbrooke Road
and three in Roseneath Road in the same district of the Borough,
and one house was erected in Ethelburga Street in East Battersea.
The houses erected on the Battersea Rise Estate were similar
in design and construction to those built on the same estate
in previous years, each containing two living-rooms and combined
kitchen-scullery on the ground floor and two large and one small
bedroom on the first floor, with bath and W.C., also on this floor.
Eight more houses on the Battersea Rise Estate (Chatto
Road) were in course of erection, but were not completed at the
end of the year.
Repair of Unfit Houses.
During 1924 the systematic inspection of house property was
actively pursued, and a large number of houses found on inspection
to be more or less seriously defective or insanitary were reported
to the Housing and Health Committees for action under the Housing
and Town Planning, &c., Act, 1919, or the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891.
The practice of dealing with the more seriously unfit houses
under the provisions of Sec. 28 of the Housing Town Planning, &c.,
Act, 1919, has been carried out since the Act came into force towards
the latter end of 1919, and valuable results have been obtained.
It is the routine procedure authorised by the Housing Committee
to communicate, in the first instance, with the owner of the property
concerned, drawing his attention to the state of premises, and
requesting him to put forward for the consideration of the Housing
Committee his proposals for the repair of the property. As a general
rule owners avail themselves readily of this informal procedure,
and in the great majority of instances specifications of the necessary
repairs required to render the premises in all respects fit for habitation
are submitted for the approval of the Committee and the work
is executed by the owner without the service of notice.
In this way during the past five years a very large proportion
of seriously unfit houses have been repaired to the satisfaction
of the Council by the owners concerned.
In a relatively small minority of cases it has been found necessary
to serve notices under Sec. 28 upon the owners concerned,
and with the notices schedules of repairs required to render the
premises fit for habitation. In most of these cases the requirements
of the notices are complied with, but in a few instances.it is found
necessary to enforce the powers of the Council and for this purpose
for the Council to enter and carry out necessary repairs in default
of the owner.