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amount of displacement of tenants, and, consequently, a minimum
amount of inconvenience. Where the condemned houses that have
been closed and afterwards demolished are in the form of a small
court or alley or cul-de-sac, the Borough Council would be in a
position, if it thought fit, to compulsorily purchase (at the land
value) the cleared sites for small local open spaces, or play-grounds,
or for small local improvement schemes, but the London County
Council might in such cases, in my opinion, require to concur with
the Borough Council's proposed action. In the event of the Council
deciding not to deal itself with the cleared sites, such sites might be
left to be dealt with by private enterprise, or through public utility
bodies or housing trusts.
To give a few examples of the kinds of areas (small areas) to
which the above remarks apply, mention may be made of :—
(a) Monkton Street site, where there are six courts (entered
from Monkton Street), and, in connection with which,
speaking generally, the houses are dirty, damp, dilapidated
and worn out, with defective drains and defective
sanitary and water fittings. These courts are known as
Strewan, Fram, Trowes, Bird, Bywell, and Longhope
Places, and should be all closed and demolished.
(b) China Walk site, consisting of St. Alban's Buildings and
Karl Place, which are two courts built practically back to
back. The houses in St. Alban's Place, which abut on
Karl Place, are numbered 15 to 25, and consist of houses
which are dirty, damp, dilapidated and worn out with
defective and badly placed sanitary conveniences and
defective sanitary and water fittings. These houses
should be all closed and demolished, or partly demolished
only, if their complete demolition should prove dangerous
to the stability of the houses in Karl Place. In that way,
proper " through " ventilation for the Karl Place houses
might be secured.
(c) Hammond Place, Cornwall Road, S.E., where there are 4
houses which are old, dilapidated and worn out, damp
and dirty, with sanitary conveniences in common and
badly placed, with defective sanitary and water fittings,
whilst the houses themselves are badly lighted and badly