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49
daring the past year, many cases having been brought to the notice
of myself and the Public Health Committee, but definite action
to abate the overcrowding was impossible on account of the lack
of other vacant premises to which the overcrowded families could
remove. On the coming into operation of the Housing and Town
Planning Act, 1919, when a sanitary survey of the district was
made, I formed the opinion that it was quite time that an official
representation under the Housing of the Working Classes Act,
1890, should be made respecting several areas of the Borough, with
a view to their being dealt with as unhealthy areas, and the following
areas were so dealt with: —
1. Watergate Street area, including 220 premises occupied by
approximately 1,200 persons.
2. Roan Street area, including 500 houses, with an approximate
population of 3,000 persons, excluding in this area all
properties recently thoroughly reconstructed by the Roan
School Governors.
3. Thames Street area, including 325 houses, with approximately
a population of 2,000 persons.
4. East Street, Charlton, area, comprising 205 houses, with an
approximate population of 1,000 persons. In this area it is
suggested that on the greater portions, when cleared, no further
houses should be erected until the land has been
considerably raised above its present level.
5. Eastney Street area, comprising 100 premises occupied by
approximately 600 people.
In dealing with all these areas it is suggested that the type of
buildings to be erected should be of the cottage variety, fitted up
for not more than two families in each, and with due provision
for a suitable garden in connection therewith, as hitherto gardening
has proved very attractive and successful as fostered by the Roan
School Governors' scheme.
I also estimate that there are approximately 750 new houses
required to be built in order to replace old, worn-out and back-toback
houses, which should be pulled down and not rebuilt, in
different parts of the Borough, viz., 200 in St. Nicholas and NorthWest
Wards, 75 in the North and Marsh Wards, 50 in the West and
South-West Wards, and 220 in Charlton, including the area No. 4
above mentioned.
These figures do not take into account any of the 200 houses
required to replace the existing temporary wooden erections in
various parts of the Borough.