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53
height of the room from the floor to the said surface of the
street or ground, the height of the room above such surface may
be less than three feet, but it shall not in any case be less than
one foot, and the width of the area need not in any case be
more than six feet;
(b) Unless every wall of the room is constructed with a
damp course, and, if in contact with the soil, is effectually
secured against dampness from that soil;
(c) Unless there is outside of and adjoining the room,
and extending along the entire frontage thereof, and upwards
from 6in. below the level of the floor thereof, an open area
properly paved at least 4ft. wide in every part thereof; Provided
that in the area there may be placed steps necessary for
access to the room, and over and across such area there may be
steps necessary for access to any building above the underground
room, if the steps in each case be so placed as not to be
over or across any external window;
(g) Unless the room is effectually secured against the
rising of any effluvia or exhalation;
(i) Unless the room has a fireplace with a proper chimney
or flue.
It accordingly now comes about that this Council, who are the
Health Authority for the district, and presumably should set the
highest example with respect to their own property, are the owners
of basement dwellings and underground rooms which do not comply
with some or all of the above-mentioned requirements. I am
unable to state definitely, but have strong reasons to suppose that
the walls in some of these premises are without proper damp
courses, and that the rooms are not effectually secured against the
rising of any effluvia or exhalation from the soil.
The area in front of a room marked on the plan as a bedroom,
instead of having a width of 4ft. is only 2ft. 8in. The width
of several other areas is also below the statutory requirements in
each case.
In some cases instead of the properly paved area at the front
of the room being 6in. below the floor level of the adjacent room,
the area is level with the floor, but a 9in. half-round channel has
been placed along the side wall from some 3in. to 6in. deep.
In one case also a room marked as bedroom on the plan has no
fireplace with proper chimney or flue.
There are also two rooms in an attic which were originally
marked on the plan as bedrooms, whose average height is only