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50
Some portion of the overcrowding in the Borough, and particularly
in the St. Nicholas district, is due to the demolition of
properties by the London County Council in order to build schools,
without that body having provided any rehousing accommodation
for the people displaced. This privilege was accorded to the
London County Council in spite of the opposition raised by this
Council on the point.
Houses Let in Lodgings. There was no change in the register
of these houses during 1919, for under the existing conditions of
occupation it practically occurred that almost every house in the
Eorough was a house let in lodgings, and therefore the 247 houses
already on the register were left and no additions made thereto.
With the coming into force of the Housing and Town Planning
Act, 1919, the existing By-laws made by this Council became out
of date, and we are waiting the coming into force of the new Bylaws
under that Act before this work is again vigorously undertaken.
Housing Schemes. The Council throughout a considerable
portion of the year had under consideration the question of a
Housing Scheme for the Borough, and, after various sites had
been considered and reported upon, the Hanging Wood Lane site,
Charl,ton, was finally decided upon. Plans and proposals are being
put forward as rapidly as possible for the erection of 456 houses,
five per cent. of which are to be of a type having one living room
and two bedrooms, thirty per cent. to have one living room and
three bedrooms, sixty per cent. one living room, parlour and three
bedrooms, and five per cent. living room, parlour and four bedrooms.
Other sites have been inspected and reported upon, and steps
are being taken during the current year for the acquisition of
certain of these sites for housing purposes.
Conversion of Premises. Under the Housing and Town Planning
Act, provision is made whereby local authorities may acquire
certain of the large and derelict houses in their district, making
the necessary alterations in order to convert them to more modern
tenement buildings. In this connection pressure was brought
to bear upon this Council by the London Housing Board, so that
this Council might hand over its powers in this respect to that
Board for them to carry out the work. Giving way to this pressure
in August, the necessary resolutions were passed authorising the
Housing Board to act on behalf of this Council in purchasing the
premises and making the necessary alterations. An official of that
Board thereupon went round the district with our Borough
Engineer, selecting houses which were thought to be suitable for
this purpose, and deciding as to how many flats they should be